


HER

by A_V_Knight



Series: Boyz In Luv [1]
Category: BLACKPINK (Band), EXO (Band), Mamamoo, Monsta X (Band), NCT (Band), SEVENTEEN (Band), SHINee, TWICE (Band), 방탄소년단 | Bangtan Boys | BTS, 우주소녀 | Cosmic Girls | WJSN
Genre: Angst, Car Accident, Depression, F/F, F/M, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Injury, Kinks and Fetishes, Language, M/M, Multi, Polyamory, Stalking, protected and unprotected sex
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-17
Updated: 2021-02-27
Packaged: 2021-03-11 22:55:53
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 211,653
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29500281
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/A_V_Knight/pseuds/A_V_Knight
Summary: Book Three in the Boyz In Luv series, this story begins with EXO Xiumin introducing his younger sister, who returned from college at UCLA in America, to his friends. Enter Kim MinYeon, aka KMY, aka Mina Kim, an up and coming producer and composer who is recovering mentally from a string of failed relationships and a stalker, all while beginning work on her master's degree in music composition. Being the indecisive Libra she is, she falls back into old habits and before long finds herself in a whole new whirlpool of poor decisions with one exception - she manages to finally fall in love. How will this idol's dongsaeng manage a blossoming career, education, and a love life when she can't even manage to ditch her ex?
Relationships: Min Yoongi | Suga/Park Jimin/Original Female Character(s)
Series: Boyz In Luv [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2166921
Kudos: 1





	1. APRIL – A NEW MASK

A beautiful April day in Seoul meant that the sky was beautifully clear, the wind was blowing, and the air quality was bad for the young and old. By local standards, it was about as good as one could hope. It wasn't raining that particular day, so it could have been worse...

It was on this day that work schedules also aligned, so four fiends from two Korean Pop groups decided it would be nice to meet for lunch; they were Xiumin and Chanyeol from EXO, and Suga and J-Hope from BTS. One by one, they slid into a private room with a table full of various meats and side dishes as beer was poured and consumed.

"Thank you for the invite," Xiumin nodded his head.

"Glad you could make it, hyung," Chanyeol grinned. "You know Min YoonGi-ssi and Hoseok-ssi."

"Of course," he bowed and shook their hands.

"How were your shows in Manila?" J-Hope asked them.

"We love Manila," Xiumin smiled. "There is always good energy."

"Whey why do you look so stressed, hyung?" Chanyeol asked.

"My younger sister forgot to tell me her flight information before she left LA," he complained. "It's difficult to pick her up when you don't know when she'll be here or how much crap she brought with her."

"She's moving back, right?" J-Hope remembered a distant conversation about the subject.

"Yes, and registration for her classes at Seoul National begins next week," he shook his head. "She drives me crazy."

"What is her major?" J-Hope asked.

"She's beginning her Master's in Music. She finished her Bachelor's Degree at UCLA in December."

"Wow," the other men were impressed.

"I didn't realize your family was so progressive," Suga smirked.

"My sister's mind is much too creative for Korea," Xiumin spoke with a sideways grin. "Plus, she has the gift of being able to talk my parents into or out of just about anything."

"Did she know English before she moved?" Suga asked another question.

"Way better than any of us," Chanyeol laughed. "We all follow her on Insta, I think. She also has a vlog on YouTube. We feel like we know her already."

Just as soon as Xiumin took a sip of beer, his phone rang. "Yeobosayo?"

"Oppa!" his sister's voice squealed over the line, causing the other men to laugh.

"MinYeon-ah! Where are you?"

"I have dumped my bags off at the dorm and am looking for you!"

"Damn it, you were supposed to let me pick you up at the airport!"

"And risk being mobbed by sasaengs? No thank you!"

"She has a point," Suga mumbled.

"I just sat down to drink and have a meal with my friends."

"Where? Oh! I just pinged your phone. Found you! I'll be there in ten minutes!"

He sighed as he hung up.

"So... MinYeon's coming to join us," Chanyeol laughed. "I can't wait to finally meet her."

"You haven't met his sister?" Suga smirked.

"No, none of us have. We all communicate with her on online, but we've never met."

"My parents made me promise to protect her from the public. Now she's old enough to make her own choices, and the fact that she's been working with some big names in the music industry will make it really hard to hide our connection."

"What is she, a 93, 94-liner?"

"95. She is 24 this year."

"And already in Grad School?" J-Hope raised his eyebrows.

"I can't say she's not intelligent," he sighed. "Don't get me wrong, I love her desperately, she's just the polar opposite of me."

"Ah," they laughed.

One conversation led to another, so when they heard a commotion from outside their door they stopped to listen.

"It's okay, they know me," they heard a voice outside their private room. "My brother is in there, just ask them."

The door slid open as all four men turned around.

"I'm sorry," the old woman serving them bowed.

"It's fine, she's with me," Xiumin waved her in.

"Thank you," a young woman wearing a cream-colored sweater with skinny jeans bowed to them. Her brown hair hanged past her shoulders in messy waves as her perfectly lined mono lidded cat eyes scanned the room. "Anneonghaseyo!"

"Hello," they bowed as she walked around to sit between her brother and his group mate.

"Woah. You look exactly like your brother," J-Hope spoke in awe.

"He wears lip gloss much better than I do," she teased before giving her brother a hug.

"How was your flight?"

"I slept the entire way, I'm surprised my face isn't swollen shut," she touched her cheeks with her perfectly manicured fingers.

"Was it a straight flight?"

"Yes. Thirteen hours."

They all nodded as she looked around the table.

"Kim MinYeon-ibnida," she introduced herself to the others with a smile.

"Jung HoSeok," J-Hope responded with his given name.

"Min YoonGi," Suga followed.

"Park ChanYeol," he grinned.

"Finally!" she covered her mouth while laughing.

"Right?" he grinned.

YoonGi subconsciously looked her over, noticing the name brand clothes, jewelry, and watch she was wearing. For a Korean woman who just endured a thirteen-hour flight, she wasn't nearly as puffy or bloated as she claimed to be. On the contrary, she was absolutely beautiful.

"I enjoyed LA, but I am so happy to be home," she sighed happily as she leaned against her brother.

"I bet," ChanYeol commiserated. "Are you staying at the dorm?"

"No," Xiumin answered quickly.

"Just until I figure out where to live," she corrected him.

"You are not staying in a house with eight men."

"Eight? Who is missing?"

"Lay," ChanYeol pouted.

"I talk to him on Insta, how did I miss this?"

"Long story," Xiumin sighed.

"You have it narrowed down to three places, right?" she returned to the subject of apartments.

"You were supposed to choose already."

"How can I choose somewhere I haven't been? What if it has bad vibes? What if the walls are too thin and my neighbors aren't music lovers?"

"You are killing me," he glared at her as the other men laughed.

"I also need a place that can be looked after while I'm in Germany next year."

"Germany?" he asked.

"I am interning with Unsuk Chin for the entire summer."

"Jin EunSuk?" YoonGi's mouth gaped open. "The Korean composer?"

"Yes. She lives in Berlin."

"She did Tim Burton's 'Alice in Wonderland' soundtrack, right?"

"Yes."

"That is amazing," ChanYeol watched her.

"Have you composed anything we'd know?" YoonGi asked.

"I helped mix the 'American Gods' soundtrack and worked synth on the 'Main Titles' track," she rolled her eyes around in thought. "I worked on 'Love Me Like You Do' for Ellie Goulding that was used on the '50 Shades' soundtrack... my last job was working for Diplo and Mad Decent Records and we wrote songs for Madonna and Nicki Minaj, CL, Sia, Justin Bieber, Lil Yachty, MØ, G-Dragon..."

"You write scores as well as songs?" YoonGi asked her.

"I do whatever I can to make money," she smiled.

"She has a habit of buying expensive things," Xiumin pointed to the watch on her wrist.

"Which do you prefer doing?" Hoseok asked her.

She glanced at her brother. "Look up 'Mina Kim' on SoundCloud. I have stuff uploaded there."

"Sweet," YoonGi grinned.

"Oh, where did your YouTube channel name come from?" ChanYeol asked with a grin on his face. "KyungSoo and I have a bet."

"Don't Call Me Minion?" she quipped.

"Yes!"

"Oh my God," she spoke in English and rolled her eyes. "It became a joke with my friends. I received minions for my birthdays, Christmas, just because..."

"MinYeon... minion," Xiumin laughed. "That is awesome."

#

YoonGi sat in the back of the taxi next to Hoseok and scanned through SoundCloud. He found 'Don't Call Me Minion' aka Mina Kim aka KMY and noticed that she had two playlists. The first was 'Good Shit' and the second was 'My Shit.'

"She is nothing like MinSeok-ie-hyung," Hoseok referred to Xiumin as his given name.

"No," he laughed lowly as he browsed through her first playlist.

_Far East Movement - F'real Luv_

_CL - Hello Bitches_

_Zico - Bermuda Triangle_

_Agust D - AgustD_

"Ha! I'm on her 'Good Shit' playlist!"

"What?!" he looked at his phone.

_Heize & Chanyeol - Don't Make Money_

_Jessi - Gucci_

_Nas - One Mic_

_G-Dragon - Bullshit_

_Dj Khaled - No Brainer_

_Fabolous - Ohh Yea_

_The Carters - Ape Shit_

_Lil Pump - Drug Addicts_

_Airplane - J-Hope_

"Hey, that's mine!" he pointed.

_Wale and RM - Change_

He sat back and looked out the window. "She has good taste."

"Ung," he agreed as he turned to her second list, 'My Shit.'

_Lil Yachty, CL, Shaiana - Surrender_

_Lil Yachty - Teenage Emotions_

_Hyun-A - Lip & Hip_

_G-Dragon, CL, Okasian, Bewhy - ₩1,000,000_

_MØ - Get It Right_

_KMY - Down_

He stopped a moment and placed his earbuds in before playing the song.

He heard a tropical beat that seemed familiar... recorded by a female Korean rapper called Jessi—except it wasn't her voice. It was MinYeon's.

"I wonder if Xiumin knows she sells her songs?" he asked J-Hope.

"Do you think she copywrites them?"

"I don't know. She has more education in that area than we do," he reminded him.

"True," he went to the next song.

_KMY - Mianhae_

_Heize - Star_

"She's good," he whispered to himself.

"I can't believe you actually spoke to her," Hoseok smirked. "You're usually very shy when you meet a new person."

He raised his eyebrows. "I know. Maybe because she's a fellow composer?"

He rolled his eyes and laughed. "Maybe. She's very beautiful. Like... 'Jimin' beautiful."

"She knows it," he nodded. "She's dangerous."

"Is that good or bad?"

He shrugged his shoulders before looking out of the car. "I'd like to find out."

As the other group rode in the car toward the EXO dorms, they did much of the same. MinYeon smiled as she received a notice that 'BTS Official' liked her playlist.

"What?" ChanYeol asked from the front seat.

MinSeok glanced up from his phone.

"BTS already checked out my SoundCloud."

"Hmph," ChanYeol's temperament changed as he looked out the window.

She received a notice that 'Real_PCY' liked her playlist as well. She looked up into the mirror and met his eyes with a smile.

MinSeok glanced between them while chewing the inside of his lip. He then opened his Kakao and texted on group text.

Xiumun: EXO Meeting for dinner tonight. 8:30

Leader: What?

DO: Is something wrong, hyung?

Kai: I'll be late.

Sehunnie: I need to be at SM at 10:00.

Xiumin: I will hunt you down if you miss this meeting.

ChanYeol checked his phone and raised his eyebrows. "Hyung?"

Baekhyunnie: I'll be there.

Jong-Dae: I'm already here.

Chanyeol: I'm with you and very confused.

MinYeon caught ChanYeol's eyes in the mirror and raised her eyebrows. He rolled his eyes toward her brother and shrugged his shoulders.

"Oppa," she leaned into him. "You're quiet."

"I'm fine. You're loud enough for the both of us."

She smiled at him.

"You can stay in my room on the top floor. JongDae can stay in BaekHyun's bed because he sleeps on the couch half of the time anyway."

"Should I go to a hotel?"

"No. It will be fine," ChanYeol answered as MinSeok once again glared at him.

#

YoonGi took a break from dance practice that night and searched 'Don't Call Me Minion' on Twitter. He found her immediately, and noticed that she was followed by Chanyeol, SeHun, Baekhyun, and Kai.

He clicked her latest photo, which was in LA. She wore a sleeveless white t-shirt with the words 'Bad Ass Asian' in red, and a pair of extremely short denim shorts. She had her hair back in a messy bun and was surrounded by a crowd of friends as they drank beer and liquor.

He went to the next to see her with an Asian friend, posing in a mirror while dressed in black, strappy dresses.

The next was a selca with her hair back, sunglasses on, and in a coral bikini, in the shade on a beach chair.

He licked his bottom lip before 'following' her.

From across town, MinYeon sat on her brother's bed while checking her YouTube channel and received the notification that she was followed by MYG_93, which was a private account on Twitter.

"Hi YoonGi," she smirked before following him back. It was accepted immediately.

She then clicked on the button to send him a private message.

Min-ahKim95: Are you a low-key stalker?

MYG_93: Yes. I have no desire for my fans to discover my secret love for trolling them.

Min-ahKim95: Your secret's safe with me. Oppa does the same thing. He's GuriMin.

MYG_93: Noted. How is your reintegration to South Korea going?

Min-ahKim95: I'm hanging out in Oppa's room while he's threatening his members with death if they touch me.

MYG_93: Good Oppa.

Min-ahKim95: If you say so.

MYG_93: I checked out your YouTube channel. Your English is amazing. You speak like a native.

Min-ahKim95: I have what some people call a 'Photographic Memory.' Except I remember everything that I hear.

MYG_93: That's a thing? Wow.

Min-ahKim95: My mother has the same and so does my brother, he remembers movement and touch. It makes him a great athlete and dancer.

MYG_93: It all makes sense now. You have an incredible talent.

Min-ahKim95: I was just summoned. Later!

MYG_93: Later!

She walked out to the dining room and stopped to meet eight sets of eyes. "Hello," she bowed.

"Woah," they hummed, commenting on the resemblance of the siblings.

"I'm Kim JunMyeon," Suho rose from his seat and bowed. "Please let me know if there is anything you need while staying with us."

"Thank you," she smiled and bowed again.

"Byun BaekHyun," Baekhyun winked at her.

"Kim JongDae," Chen nodded.

"We've met," ChanYeol winked and waved at her as she grinned and nodded her head.

"Do KyungSoo."

"We know one another from IG, but... Kim JongIn," Kai grinned at her.

"Yes," she agreed, turning to Se-Hun.

"Oh SeHun," he smiled. "I feel like I already know you."

"Same," she nodded.

"Please, join us for dinner," Suho held his hand toward an empty seat—Lay's seat.

"Thank you," she hesitated before sitting between BaekHyun and JongDae.

"I have a question," ChanYeol spoke up as everyone turned to him. "Since you hate being called Minion, did you adopt an English name?"

"Sort of. Min-ah turned into Mina, so I've been used to being called 'Mina Kim' for the past four years. 'KMY' is my registered name in both the Korean and American Music Copyright Associations. I have so many aliases, I even get confused."

They laughed with her, understanding completely. ChanYeol himself had his given name, stage name, and two names registered with KOMCA.

"And I believe the Kims now outnumber the rest," Kai spoke up.

"I call for a game night Sunday!" SeHun exclaimed.

"Aish," MinSeok rolled his eyes.

"I will be in LA," ChanYeol pouted.

MinYeon sat quietly and watched her brother.

"Fine. Just don't get too attached. She will be moving out soon."

"You make me sound like a stray dog," she glared at him.

"Ooh! She has hyung's savage stare!" BaekHyun laughed as they both turned on him.

The entire table quieted.

"Well then..." JongDae's eyes widened.

#

Yoon-Gi woke up the next afternoon and immediately opened his Instagram to discover many selcas of MinYeon and EXO's maknae line in their pajamas. The caption read: Pajama day with EX-Oppas.

"YoonGi-hyung," Hoseok peeked his head into his room. "MinYeon-ssi just posted the entire EXO maknae line..."

"Yeah," he laughed.

"She's usually cryptic and selective on what she posts, but she's opened up her account. I think she's debuting," his eyes widened.

MinSeok walked into the dorm to hear Kai and Chanyeol on the karaoke machine, rapping to 'Pajamas All Day' by Hard Nox.

_I'm a hot mama-jamma_

_I jam in my pajamas_

_I put on my pajamas, and then I go bananas_

_Then, the instigator took over:_

_Do I wanna go somewhere?_

_No way!_

_No school, no work, got none today_

_Frosted flakes and champaign with my OJ_

_Pajamas all night, pajamas all day!_

All of them chanted with her:

_Pajamas! Pajamas! Pajamas all day!_

"24 hours and she's already got you completely under her spell," MinSeok crossed his arms.

"Come sing, Oppa!" she handed him a microphone.

He sighed before giving in.

_Pajamas all day?_

_Yep, all day!_

_Got fireball in my pumpkin spice latte_

_Pajamie-jam need some models on my runway_

_I put my slippers on and slide down the hallway_

_Pajamas all day!_

_They all shouted:_

_I'm in my pajamas! Pajamas! Pajamas all day!_

The song ended to great fanfare and applause.

"You too, Kyungsoo-ah?" MinSeok acted disappointed.

He shrugged his shoulders and smiled.

"Pizza, beer, and chicken!" BaekHyun and JongDae announced their arrival.

"Get your pajamas on!" MinYeon set up another song: Psy's 'I Luv It!' started as Suho jumped over the sofa to grab a microphone.

_I just hit 40 babe_

_Turn off the lights, I'm twenty babe_

_I make that dance music babe_

_I just wanna make you dance_

Suddenly, a live video of Xiumin, Suho, DO, and Chen popped up on Chanyeol's Insta. They were singing the song, and really getting into it.

_If you did what u wanted I LUV IT_

_If you said what u wanted I LUV IT_

_If you got what u wanted I LUV IT_

_And loved who you loved, good for you, I LUV IT!_

"Wow," YoonGi laughed.

"Hyung, did you see..." Hoseok ran in.

"She got Suho and Xiumin to sing Psy in their pajamas."

"I hope they keep posting, this shit is gold."

#

MinSeok walked into the kitchen, stretching and yawning as he ran his fingers through his disheveled, sleep-derived hair.

"I know, right?" ChanYeol's boisterous laugh followed.

Min-Seok followed the voices to the dining room to find ChanYeol, JongDae, and BaekHyun dressed up in suits and ties. He raised his eyebrows. "What's up?"

"Korean Music Copyright Association luncheon," JongDae explained.

"We're taking MinYeon-ah," BaekHyun grinned.

"She's a junior member and has never been," ChanYeol nodded.

"Plus, Min Suga's being promoted to a full member today."

"Mwo."

Her feet pattered against the floor as she entered the kitchen. She wore a sleeveless black dress with light, clean makeup and pink tinted lips while carrying her heels in her hand.

"Wow. You look so grown up," her brother looked her over.

"It happens," she grinned.

"Should we take a selca?" BaekHyun held up his phone as MinSeok dashed off to grab a ball cap to throw over his head. The four smiled and posed for the camera as MinYeon felt a large, warm hand squeeze her waist. She quietly glanced up to see ChanYeol watching her, waiting for a reaction.

When she said nothing, he burst into a bright grin which she mirrored.

"The car is here," JongDae called out from the hall.

"Have fun," MinSeok stopped his sister. "I'm sorry I have a schedule today. I'm proud of you."

"Thank you, Oppa," she kissed his cheek before sliding into her heels and dashing off.

The drive was relatively quiet, except for BaekHyun trying his best to point out every restaurant, bar, and club he had been to, and a review of each, between the dorm and the venue.

They arrived and were whisked inside by security before credentials were checked and nametags provided. JongDae helped her with her name tag and offered his arm before walking through the door.

"Did Oppa tell you?" she spoke lowly with an ornery grin.

"A long time ago," he laughed. "He actually brought it up in an interview."

"What's that?" Baekhyun asked.

"I had a crush on Chen when I was younger," she grinned. "He's my EXO bias," she teased as his ears burst into a bright red.

"No!" Chanyeol complained. "Damn it!" he hissed lowly.

"That's it, I'm done," Baekhyun walked off playfully.

"Congratulations, Mr. Suga," senior members of the KOMCA took the opportunity to greet and speak to the newly promoted Kpop idol across the room.

"Thank you," he bowed to them, hating every moment of attention he was receiving.

"Do you need a drink?" his eldest member, Kim SeokJin whispered.

"The stronger, the better," he mumbled before greeting an old friend. "Zelo."

"Congratulations, hyung."

Back toward the door of the room, MinYeon was introduced to music executives as her brother's members stood proudly.

"I'm happy to see such well-known, upstanding young Idols introducing new members to the association."

The young men bowed.

"And I can't wait to see what you can contribute to Korean Music, young lady."

She bit her tongue as she smiled and bowed to him. "Thank you."

Yoon-Gi took a sip of his drink and relaxed his shoulders while looking toward the window. He let out a deep, cleansing breath as something caught his eye. Her hair hung down her shoulders in loose waves as the sun shone her just right, creating a halo effect that had him mesmerized. "MinYeon..." he whispered under his breath.

Just then, as if she heard his voice, she turned to catch his eyes. A smile immediately formed on her perfectly pink lips as they nodded to one another.

"Chughahanda," she mouthed before taking a sip of wine.

"Gomabseubnida," he mouthed back.

She was pulled away by ChanYeol to meet yet another old man as YoonGi turned to find SeokJin speaking with his not-so-secret girlfriend, and former EXO manager Park MiHyeon, who also went by the name Hannah Park.

"Congratulations, Yoon-Gi," she smiled at him.

"Thank you, Noona," he nodded. "Um... have you met Xiumin-sunbae's sister yet?"

"No! Is she here?"

"She is with EXO," he nodded toward them. "She's been a Junior Member for two years now."

She raised her eyebrows as her face brightened. "How long as she been back in Korea?"

"A few days. Hobi and I met her the day she arrived."

"I see," she flashed a knowing smile at SeokJin. "I should probably introduce myself then. Excuse me," she bowed before walking off.

"Wow. She is really pretty," SeokJin mumbled. "Like... wow."

"She is," he looked away.

"Do you like her?"

"I just met her a few days ago."

"HoSeok told me you've been speaking to her on Insta and Twitter."

"I'm interested in her Master's courses."

"Right," he smiled as he took a drink.

"Look who's here!" BaekHyun grinned. "Hannah Park, meet Kim MinYeon! Xiumin-hyung's sister, this is Kai Noona!" he referred to her nickname, an homage to her resemblance to JongIn.

They burst into laughter.

"Oh!" she shook her hand and bowed. "I've heard a lot about you!"

"It's so nice to finally know your name," Hannah giggled.

"I've met so many people who know you, I'm happy we've finally met."

"Me too," she glanced over her shoulder at her boyfriend before continuing. "I feel sorry for YoonGi."

"Min YoonGi-ssi?" she glanced in his direction.

"He hates getting this much attention without being able to hide behind the rest of the group. He's so nervous."

"Ah..."

"Do you think... you might... text to reassure him?"

"Me? We're not really close."

She raised her eyebrows. "He likes you, MinYeon. A lot."

She raised her eyebrows.

"He's extremely shy. Would you mind?"

"What the hell is Noona doing?" YoonGi sighed as he turned to Seok-Jin.

"Helping," he smirked playfully.

"Aish," he rolled his neck.

"It's up to you," Hannah nodded just as the bells rang to signal for everyone to take their seats.

"Ready?" ChanYeol placed his hand at the small of her back.

"Yes," she watched as Hannah walked off to sit with her brother, Justin Park.

The event began with the President giving a speech on the increase in revenue and thus royalties because of the booming Kpop industry in International Music. Many groups were recognized including EXO and BTS, at which all members bowed in humility.

Then, the 25 members promoted from Junior to Full Membership were announced and given plaques to commemorate their stature. YoonGi returned to the three members present to receive hugs and congratulations. MinYeon couldn't help but smile.

As lunch was served, she carefully pulled out her phone and began to type.

Min-ahKim95: Congratulations.

He carefully pulled out his phone to take a peek before slowly looking across the room. She met his eyes and smiled.

MYG_93: Thank you. I didn't look too nervous, did I?

Min-ahKim95: Not at all. You didn't trip either, which is what I would have done.

He burst into a grin before looking up to receive his food.

MYG_93: Are you busy the day after tomorrow? I have time to show you around my studio if you have time.

Min-ahKim95: That sounds great. I should be available.

MYG_93: Cool. I'll send someone to get you from the dorm.

Min-ahKim95: What time?

MYG_93: I'll let you know when we get closer.

MYG_93: To the day.

Min-ahKim95: That sounds good.

The luncheon ended as the promotees were swarmed by people taking photos and congratulating them. YoonGi and MinYeon made eye contact one last time before she was escorted out the door by her brother's members.


	2. MAY – TRUTH AND LIES

"So this is the living room. There have been nights when I've crashed here instead of going home," ChanYeol gave MinYeon a tour of his studio.

"Ah," she smiled.

"And..." he stepped back to let her walk into the room lined with keyboards, guitars, computer screens and surveillance cameras in the corners. There were two chairs in front of the soundboard that they slid into as he began booting up everything.

She watched him closely as he played a track that looped with real drums and an electric guitar in rhythm. There was no melody or words yet.

"It's bright and cheery, isn't it?"

"It is."

"I feel like all I've been singing lately are sad songs."

"Then finish this one," she nodded to the monitor.

He looked into her eyes a moment before turning to play the keyboards, adding melody to the track. She couldn't help but admire the focused look to him as he worked.

He added the melody and then sat back. "It needs something else."

"What about bass?" she suggested.

"Ah!" he agreed before going to work.

A few hours later, they had a completed track that lacked only vocals. He played the entire song for her as they both nodded that it was a good one. The music ended and thus the conversation as they slowly realized that they were staring at one another.

"I know this is soon, but... I would really like for us to be friends."

She bit her lip to cover her smile. "I'm not exactly getting a 'friends' vibe from you."

"No, but I'm a nice Korean boy," he smirked.

"That's not the vibe I'm getting either, especially after how handsy you've been when you think my brother isn't looking."

"Yeah."

"Yeah," she looked up at him.

Their lips met slowly, yet the intensity grew rapidly. He cupped her face with his hands as she stepped forward to place her right knee over his left, her left leg between his. She ran her fingers through his wavy, black hair before pulling away to catch her breath.

"Okay. We shouldn't do this," she looked into his eyes.

"Xiumin-hyung will kill me," he let go of her and ran his fingers through his hair to straighten it.

"You all seem to be afraid of my brother."

"Yeah. He'll definitely kill me," he sat back as she returned to her seat.

"I'm going to go then," she stood up.

"Min-ah," he reached for her hand and stopped her. She watched him as he rose to his feet and looked down at her with those big, intense chocolate eyes.

Without a word, he leaned down to kiss her once more. This time he was aggressive and pushed his tongue past her lips to run across hers.

There was a knock at the door causing them to quickly pull a part. She returned to her seat and checked her lip gloss as he reached for a mask to hide the glittery pink smeared across his.

"Thank God for locks," she murmured as he grinned brightly from under his mask. He opened the door to find his writing partner, MQ.

"Hey man, are you working?"

"No. I'm actually showing Xiumin's sister around."

"No shit? Is she pretty?" he glanced in.

"Yes," he pushed him back.

"Can I see her?"

"No. She's a secret."

"Does she look like him?"

"Of course she does."

"Do you need to work? Should I go?" MinYeon walked in from the studio.

"Woah!" MQ stared at her. "You are MUCH hotter than your brother."

She and ChanYeol glanced at one another for a moment.

"I know," she answered slowly.

"You don't have to go," ChanYeol pleaded with her.

"Yes, I do," she smiled at him. "I'll see you at the dorm."

He sighed and gave in. "Okay."

"Nice to meet you," she bowed to MQ before walking past him out the door.

"She's staying at the dorm? Dude!"

He smirked and smacked him on the back of the head.

"How in the world has Xiumin hidden his smokin' hot sister this long?!"

"By people like you keeping quiet," he growled at him.

"Dude, I would gladly give everything I own for her to just... walk on me."

He threw his head back in laughter before going to work.

#

Min-Seok walked through a flat and looked around carefully at the walls, floor, and cabinet space as his sister followed him, typing like a mad woman on her phone.

"Yeonnie, are you even looking?"

"Those cabinets are too high, I'm only 150 centimeters tall," she pointed. "And there is only one room. I need to set up a studio."

He nodded in agreement before turning to the realtor. "She really does need a second bedroom she can convert to a studio."

"That is going to raise your cost substantially. Apartments like that run around ₩4,000,000 per month."

"She has a nice job aside from being a student," he assured her. "Plus, she receives an allowance from our parents."

"I know the perfect place, then."

They left the apartment and followed her to her car.

"Who the hell are you texting?" he complained.

"YoonGi-ssi has invited me to Big Hit to see his studios."

He rolled his eyes and sighed. "You're using their given names? I didn't realize you were talking to them."

"Well... mainly YoonGi-ssi."

He raised his eyebrows.

"It's not like that, Oppa."

"Good. You need to focus on your education. I know you're already making a name for yourself in the music business, but you need your degrees to fall back on."

"Exactly," she agreed. "But I really want to see his studio. Each of their rappers has his own and I think the maknae does too."

"ChanYeol does too."

"Yes... I got the grand tour yesterday."

He watched her for a moment. "Please be careful."

"Wae?"

"Even if you're just friends... these are Idols, Yeon-ah. Our fans will tear you a part."

Her eyes widened at his warning. "Sasaengs?"

"Sasaengs," he patted her head lovingly. She closed her eyes and sighed, reminding herself of the stories she had heard about crazy fans. They weren't really fans, but crazy people in general. Sasaengs were people who believed that idols and celebrities belonged to them. They had no personal space and showed up at unscheduled times to interrupt personal lives. They were dangerous.

After finding the perfect apartment, MinSeok dropped MinYeon off at BigHit where she met YoonGi at the door. YoonGi walked MinYeon past security and reception to the elevator.

"How much longer do you expect to stay at the EXO dorm?" he asked as the doors closed.

"The place we found won't be ready until the end of the month."

"Where are your things from LA?"

"They're in a freight shipment and should be here next week. I'll send it to Guri to my parents until I need it... Or I might just get all new stuff."

He laughed as he looked down at her.

"A new space requires new decor... except my studio. It has to be perfect."

"Will you need help putting it together?"

"Possibly. I'll let you know."

He nodded silently as the door opened. "First thing's first—if I don't introduce you to the boys, they'll be following us like puppies all day."

"That's fine," she smiled.

He led her to a rehearsal room where the main dancers of the group were practicing. All three froze in complete shock to see their hyung talking and laughing with a woman, especially one who looked like her.

"This is Kim MinYeon, the sister of a friend. She's working on her Master's of Music Composition at SNU, so I'm showing her our studios. These are Park Jimin, you've met HoSeok, and Jeon JeongGuk."

"Hello," they all bowed.

"Wow. Has anyone ever told you that you look like EXO's Xiumin?" JeongGuk asked.

She nodded humbly. "He's my older brother."

"Oh!" Jimin and JeongGuk exclaimed as YoonGi rolled his eyes.

"Hyung, I..." RM walked in. "Oh! Hello. I didn't know we had a visitor."

"This is Kim MinYeon, Kim NamJoon," he introduced them.

"Pleasure to meet you," she answered as the two rappers made eye contact. She, on the other hand, turned to catch the eyes staring her down. She met them and smiled as a tingle crawled up her spine.

"So this is our main rehearsal room. Nothing cosmic, just a painful reminder that I have a new dance to learn," he sighed dramatically.

"Reason number five why I didn't follow in my brother's footsteps."

"You have a list?"

"Extensive," she deadpanned.

He smiled and nodded toward the door. "Shall we?"

She nodded and followed him out, but not before glancing back over her shoulder to meet the eyes that were still on her.

"Oh my God," Jimin growled as he watched the two walk out the door.

"Wow," JeongGuk looked over at Hoseok. "You didn't tell me she was _that_ hot."

"Words don't do her justice," he sighed wistfully. "I'm in shock that YoonGi-hyung made the first move."

"And she's here with him too?" NamJoon smirked.

"Life isn't fair sometimes," Jimin laughed, his eyes glancing toward where the couple walked off to.

YoonGi and MinYeon walked from room to room until they ended up at 'Genius Lab.'

"It's a running joke," he pressed the code into keypad and opened the door, stepping back to let her in.

The studio was smaller than ChanYeol's, with an electric piano along with a keyboard. There was a tiny sofa in the corner and shelves full of Kaws, but the control center was a masterpiece.

"Wow," she studied the equipment.

"I've only had this setup since last July, but it's the best I've ever had."

"How do you like the recoil stabilizers at a 90 degree angle? I've always preferred a 10 degree incline."

"My space isn't really big enough for it, and my monitors are higher up. I've never really thought about it, honestly."

"True... my studio in LA was much bigger than my new one will be. I'm used to working with big, layered sounds so the incline let the music go over my shoulders sort of giving the feeling of surround sound."

"Oh."

They discussed equipment a bit longer before he showed her a few things. He then bit his lip and stared at her for a moment. "I have something to show you."

She smiled at him. "Okay."

He clicked away on his keyboard as a song popped up on the monitor. She began to read over the specifics as her eyes widened. "That's one of mine."

"I've been playing with it," he caught the look on her face and smiled. "Don't worry, I'm a professional."

She reached for a seat and pulled up beside him as he programmed a few samples. "What is the quality of the samples you pulled? Are they distorted from being downloaded? If you need fresh samples, I can play them."

"You played the music?"

"Composer," she wiggled her fingers at him before scooting over to his piano.

He watched as she turned on and set up the sound she needed before playing. "The guitar in the background is me, but my dickhead ex stole my prized Fender."

"That, I can help with," he isolated the guitar and saved it.

They basically stripped down and recreated her song, to which he added a bit of bass. Once the song was reworked, she began to sing the chorus and first verse. As the second chorus ended, he cut her off with a rap he wrote for it, totally blowing her away.

She smiled as she sang again. He then pressed a button that added backing vocals he had previously recorded.

As the song ended, she looked at him with a bright smile. "That was fun."

"I really like your voice."

"Our sounds blend really well together," she agreed.

"If I upload this to BTS' SoundCloud, you'll have managers beating down your door."

"Yeah, and dating rumors sweeping through your fans in two seconds."

He bit his lip and turned back to the screen while playing with his right ear. His heart felt like it was about to pound out of his chest. "Instead of taking the time to upload it, we could just have dinner."

"Are you asking me out?"

"Do you honestly think I've ever invited another person who isn't in Bangtan into my studio?"

She thought over the hundreds of texts they had shared over the previous week. "No."

"So go to dinner with me," he offered her a sexy smirk.

"We just met."

"Does that matter? Isn't having dinner together a way to get to know one another?"

"I'm not like other Korean girls... I'm not looking for a boyfriend. I just got here and my education and music come first."

"That's hot."

She threw her head back in laughter as he grinned at her. "That includes seeing other people. I know it's a foreign concept in Korea to date more than one person, but... I just got out of an emotionally exhausting relationship and I need a break."

"I get it. I'm gone a lot, too. My schedules are crazy. I understand. I just... really like you and I want to see you around more."

She bit her lip and looked away, remembering the chill she felt crawling up the spine the moment she met Jimin. "Okay," she smiled.

"Good. Hungry?"

"Yes."

"What is your favorite food?"

"Noodles or cheeseburgers."

"I know the perfect place."

#

"It doesn't seem to matter how thin we are, we have these... round, puffy faces," she explained about herself and her brother to him. "In school they called me 'MinMandu' and EXO calls Oppa 'bao-zi'."

"We call Jimin 'Mochi' and 'Manggae' for the same reason," he laughed. "He doesn't like it either."

"A mean girl once told me that I should get liposuction on my face. I accused her of wanting to be prettier than me."

"I don't miss school."

"Honestly, that almost made me stay in LA. I hate being asked when I'm going to get my eyes and nose done. Jessi-Eunnie has so many regrets about her surgeries. She would kill me if I messed up my face."

"You?! I have one monolid and one double! At least you match."

"What?" she leaned against the table and took a good look at his eyes. "Woah."

He became amused at how closely she was studying his eyes.

"People really think you should, what... match them up?"

He nodded silently.

"But then you wouldn't look like you."

"Then I'll make you a promise. I won't change mine if you don't change yours," he held his pinky out to her.

"Promise," she wrapped her pinky around his and nodded.

They were interrupted by multiple bowls of side dishes that were placed around a crock full of noodles, eggs, rice cakes, and fish cakes.

"So... how did you become an Idol?" she asked while serving him.

"I was lied to," he smirked.

"What?" she burst into laughter.

"I moved to Seoul in high school to become a composer. It was November 7th, 2010," he added the date to sound like an old man who was telling a story of his youth. "I joined an agency to get my songs heard. I wanted to be like you."

"Wow."

"We weren't supposed to be an Idol group. It was supposed to be a Hip-Hop group of rappers. We were never supposed to dance."

"That's crazy. Look where you are now."

"If it wasn't for the contract I signed, I wouldn't be here today."

"I bet. My brother was supposed to be a football player. He went with a friend to auditions and won 2nd place just weeks before moving to a school for sports."

"From future Olympian to EXO."

"Life is crazy," she took a bite of kimchi.

"What do you plan to do when you have your degree?"

"I'm not really sure. It all depends on my internship next year. With a recommendation from Jin-ssi, I can do anything I want in South Korea."

"You write Hip-Hop in your spare time and soundtrack scores for a living, plus your Korean culture vlog. No big deal."

"I write down whatever's in my head," she answered honestly. "There's just usually a killer beat to it."

"Awesome," he grinned. "Maybe one day we'll be at the same award show, both winning for our music?"

"Maybe?" she shrugged her shoulders.

#

MYG_93: What's up?

Min-ahKim95: The sky.

MYG_93: Are you busy?

Min-ahKim95: Oppa is preparing for CBX tour in Japan. I. Am. Bored.

MYG_93: Want to catch a matinee?

Min-ahKim95: Which one?

MYG_93: Infinity War, Rampage, or Gonjiam.

Min-ahKim95: Avengers!

MYG_93: I'm on my way.

She jumped off of the bed and freshened her makeup and lip gloss before grabbing her purse. She opened the door and ran smack into ChanYeol, who was waiting with his arm across the doorway.

"Ah!" she laughed as his boisterous voice filled the air.

"Sorry! I just heard you getting ready and had to do it."

"You jerk!" she smacked him. "I almost had a heart attack!"

"Sorry," he pulled her into his arms. "What can I do to make it up to you?"

She sighed as she looked up into his eyes. It was not lost on her how strong and toned his arms were as she fought her desire for him. "I need to go."

"Xiumin-hyung's at rehearsal..."

"I know."

"So I thought we could..."

"I have a friend coming to pick me up. Sorry."

"Friend? You've been here five days."

"I make friends easily," she teased him.

"Come on, Min-ah. I'm leaving for LA tomorrow and won't be home until June."

"I'll let you know when I get back," she pulled away from him.

"Aish," he sighed as he watched her leave.

He slowly walked off to his room and peeked out the window to see YoonGi pull up and wait for her.

"Fuck," he growled before plopping down onto his bed.

#

"The score for this entire movie is orchestral," MinYeon whispered before taking a sip of her soda.

"What? It's two and a half hours long!" YoonGi answered.

"Exactly," she mumbled. "I can't imagine."

Once the movie was over, they grabbed Korean Fried Chicken and went to Seoul Forest to sit near the animal park to eat.

"I have to admit, that was better than I thought it would be."

"The MCU scores have been hit or miss, but I really liked that one. Especially the dark parts. They really made the entire movie all about the villain."

He smiled while watching her speak passionately about music.

"What?" she asked him.

"You are adorable," he laughed.

She bit her lip before turning back to her food.

"We're leaving for LA in a week, and I'll be there for a week. We're performing our comeback stage, so promotions will begin as soon as we get back and then Festa begins."

"Is that why you have makeup on?"

"Photo shoots," he nodded. "We're shooting a music video late tonight."

"Crazy hours. ChanYeol doesn't even go to the studio until 9:30."

"Schedules," he smirked.

"Wow. It will be quiet here then. Chen, Baekhyun, and Oppa are leaving for their Japanese tour, ChanYeol leaves tomorrow for LA for a month, Suho, Kai, DO, and Lay are shooting... I'm not sure what Sehun-ssi is doing."

"How will you keep busy?"

"Registration will begin, and I will probably go to Guri... meet up with some old friends."

"You haven't seen your parents yet?"

"I've been here five days and Oppa won't let me drive his car," she smirked. "Besides, you've been taking up a lot of my time."

He rubbed his thumb across his bottom lip. "I'm not sorry."

"Neither am I," she smiled.

"You still have friends there?"

"Of course. I make friends easily."

"Good," he sighed.

They were quiet for a moment.

"So why LA?" she cut the silence.

"BBMAs," he grinned.

"Sweet," she spoke in English. "I'll try to watch."

"I'll give you a signal."

"Like what?"

"I'll... oh, you can pick out my red carpet clothes."

She raised her eyebrows as her eyes widened. "That's bold!"

"You have expensive taste, I think I'm safe."

"What are the options?"

"Gucci, probably. I guess you'll have to come and take a look."

"Is there time?"

He checked his phone. "If we go now, yes."

She quickly finished eating as they gathered up their things and threw them away. She sucked her bottom lip into her mouth as he took her hand and pulled her off to his car.

She found herself at Big Hit, going through a wardrobe rack full of Gucci men's clothing in various styles and sizes. Occasionally, she would pull something out, hold it up to him, and then put it back.

"Welcome to my world," he grinned at the perplexed look on her face.

"Reason number nine..." she growled as he laughed. She was referring to her list of reasons she never wanted to be an Idol. "Okay, I really like this. It doesn't exactly say bad-ass rapper to me though."

He raised his eyebrows. "It doesn't have to. It just has to say expensive bad-ass Idol."

Jimin stepped in and looked around, his makeup heavy from a photo shoot as he looked between the two before smiling. "Hi."

"Hi..." she stared at him for a moment before becoming serious.

"What are you guys doing?"

"She's picking out my BBMA Red Carpet look," YoonGi glanced down at his phone to see that he was receiving a call. "Excuse me," he walked out to the hall.

MinYeon looked away and stared at the clothes rack, her eyes rolling around in her head as if she were searching for something.

"What is it?" Jimin watched her closely.

"What?" she turned to him.

"You keep staring at me," he licked his lips as he watched her.

"I remember..." she smirked at him.

"What do you remember?"

"KCon. Los Angeles. 2014. Laguna Beach."

He raised his eyebrows as she spoke.

"We met in front of the Starbucks. You wore a Rodman jersey with jeans. One guy had on a blue snapback, and the third had on a graphic tee."

He was speechless as he listened to her.

"I was going to the beach with my dorm roommates. You taught us your chant and took a selca with a polaroid. We saw you again on the beach, you were playing along the shore, dipping your feet in the water while carrying your boots."

"I remember a group of girls... in bikinis..." his eyes widened as his mouth dropped open. "Pink bikini... two braids," he laughed, his smile brightening up the room.

"Ne."

"Jin-hyung and I had a wager on whether you were Korean, but we were too shy to ask."

"I had only been in LA for two weeks. I was introduced to JiYong-ie-oppa that night."

"Wow," he sat back and looked her over. "All I had to do was give you my number. I could have changed everything."

She dropped her eyes to his full, pouty lips and licked her own. "Perhaps. Club Nokia, 2015. I had passes to meet you after the show, but I had a fight with my boyfriend and ended up not going at all."

"Wow," he locked eyes with her.

"You headlined Kcon in 2016. I went to see Adele instead."

"How many other times were we steered toward one another?" he sucked his bottom lip into his mouth. "It was fate."

"Does that actually work?" she teased him as she tilted her head.

"I'm not even trying right now," he flirted with her. "If I was really putting on the charm, you wouldn't be able to resist," he licked his lips.

"That works both ways, pretty boy," she purred lowly, throwing her hair over her shoulder before returning to the clothes rack.

His eyes widened just before dropping down to her nicely-rounded ass.

As YoonGi returned to his seat, she held up a blue cotton oxford with a white collar and a pierced heart emblem embroidered on the left side of the chest. Without missing a beat, she returned straight to what she was doing before Jimin entered the room. "You can go either way with this. Jeans and trainers for a laid-back look, or slacks and nice shoes."

"My hair will be this... ridiculous split style they're hell-bent on doing. Half curly and half crimped."

"Reason number three," she smirked as she dipped back into the clothes. "Jeans then. I don't know your size."

He nodded before picking out a pair of jeans and a black belt.

She held up the ensemble and nodded her head. "That's good for America. They'll be in such awe that you're head to toe Gucci it won't matter anyway."

"What won't matter?"

"You're kidding, right?" she smirked, feeling Jimin's eyes on her.

YoonGi grabbed her hand. "Tell me."

"You're hot," she spoke without a hint of sarcasm in her voice. "And Americans don't appreciate manners. They'll be pawing all over you, touching you..."

"I won't let them," he put the clothes down on a chair beside him and pulled her closer to him as Jimin turned his head away and sighed.

"The culture shock is amazing. You'll be a deer in the headlights. Wait until you get your first key card."

"Key card?"

"A girl will casually walk by you and place her hotel room key in your pocket, hand... mouth..." she rolled her eyes.

"I will be with my members the whole time, and every free moment I have will be spent texting you."

"YoonGi-ya," she looked away.

Jimin felt a wave of hope flow through him as he smiled. She apparently wasn't returning all of his hyung's flirtations. He caught his hyung's side-eye and rolled his eyes before looking down at his phone. "I need to go. It was nice to see you again, MinYeon-ssi," he bowed before dashing out the door.

"That was abrupt," she sighed.

"Schedules," YoonGi watched her. "That's the first time you've called me by my name."

She laughed at him as he slipped his arms around her waist and clasped his hands together behind her. "What are your plans for Monday night?"

Her mouth went dry as she internally began to panic. He was touching her, which wasn't a problem—she definitely liked being touched. Five years ago, when she was finishing school in Guri, the third date was the milestone. After the third date was when you decided to commit or part ways. And the way he was acting... holding her hand and touching her, he seemed to want more. Why couldn't he just be handsy and forward like ChanYeol? Why did she have to like skinship so much? Then she remembered—Korean men always tried to see how far they could get away with things, to know where their relationship stood. He was in for a treat.

She swallowed before answering. "I start the registration process on Monday. I'll just meet my professors and the other students in the graduate program. It shouldn't be too long of a day."

"I have photo shoots that day, so I'll look amazing," he tried not to laugh as she broke into a smile. "It might be late."

"I'm a big girl, I can stay up late," she teased him, trying to lighten the mood.

He stared at her lips and growled lowly before walking toward the door and pulling her behind him.

TaeHyung walked past the reception room to hear Jimin laughing. He stopped and peeked in to find him watching a video on his phone. "What's funny?"

"Remember Kcon 2014? We did that mission at Laguna Beach."

"Ne."

"We taught those girls the chant in front of Starbucks."

"Ne."

He pulled up the video from MNET, paused with a group of girls. "See the pretty one in the back?"

"Ne."

"That's Kim MinYeon."

"What?! No way!"

He nodded while laughing.

"Even funnier is that Jin-hyung and I were checking her out on the beach later."

"Look at those squishy cheeks! She's so cute! Does she still look like that?"

"Ne," he sighed. "Apparently, we met her four years ago."

"That is so cool. You have a photo of the exact moment we met her."

"True. Now I can tell hyung-ie that I met her first," he purred.

He frowned before turning to him. "You like her?"

He let out a long, deep breath. "Yes. I do."

"What are you going to do about it?"

"Nothing," he ran his fingers through his hair. "Eotteoghae?"

He nodded his understanding and patted him on the shoulder before heading off to where he was going in the first place.

Jimin looked back down at the screen and sighed.

YoonGi and MinYeon held hands the entire time he drove her back to the EXO dorm as they made small talk about music and family. By the time they pulled up, it was silent once again.

"I had a lot of fun today. I can't believe we did so many things."

"I always have fun with you," he watched her. "Even if it's on Kakao or Twitter."

She waited a moment to see if he was going to kiss her, but he didn't. Unlike ChanYeol, he was taking things slowly. "Goodnight," she slipped out of the car and walked into the dorm.

She walked straight to her room and plopped down onto the bed. She was confused and frustrated. She had never been in a 'great' relationship with a man. Her ex boyfriends were always okay, but not great; Or even nice, sometimes. She always found herself settling...

At least if she settled, she'd never get her heart broken, right? YoonGi was the making of a good boyfriend, but was that what she wanted? Or did she want the sexual chemistry that she and ChanYeol shared? And then again, there was Jimin... Is this what her dating life, in just five days in Seoul had boiled down to? Like vs Lust vs... whatever this spark was with Jimin?

"Aish," she grabbed her phone and texted him.

Minion_95: I'm home.

LOEY: I'm at dinner with my Noona.

LOEY: I'll be home in 30 minutes.

Minion_95: I'm not going anywhere else tonight.

LOEY: That makes me happy.

Minion_95: :)

#

MinYeon stepped out of the shower later to be stopped by ChanYeol. He leaned over her, placed his hands on the wall over her head, and looked down into her eyes.

"What's going on with you and Min Suga?"

"Why is that your business?"

His eyes widened at her tone, which was anything but mannerly. "Your oppa is my hyung. I need to help him take care of you."

"Yet you've been going behind his back, trying to get me into your bed for two days."

He closed his eyes and sighed, trying to gather his thoughts. "We have chemistry."

"True."

"I want you."

"Then ask my oppa."

"He'll never approve."

"What do you want from me then?"

"You," he leaned down to kiss her. He then pulled back. "I want you."

"I don't want a boyfriend. I just got here, I need to focus on my education and my music."

"You are much different than other girls," he grinned, popping out his dimples for her. "I can handle that."

"And you're leaving tomorrow, I'm not..."

"See other men. No commitment. I get it. You've lived in LA. I understand."

"Do you? You seem awfully interested in Suga."

"I would walk over broken glass at this point, MinYeon-ah. I. Want. You."

She sighed while looking up into his eyes. "Those dimples are dangerous."

He grinned just before pulling her up into his arms and walking down the hall and one flight down to his room, making sure to shut and lock the door.

He placed her onto the floor. Lacing his fingers through her freshly cleaned, damp hair, his lips met hers. He was gentler than before, his eagerness replaced with tenderness as his hands roamed her body. His lips began to peck her cheeks, ears, neck, shoulder...

She found herself pulling his shirt, so he bent down to allow her to pull it over his head. Her breath sucked in as she got a good look at his incredibly sculpted chest. She then bit her lip in anticipation of what the rest of him looked like.

"Do you like that?"

"We'll see," she reached for his waistband.

Two hours later...

"Oh!" she collapsed onto his chest.

"Mmm," he growled before rolling her over, pressing her body into his mattress.

She arched her back as he slowed his pace. "I think we should add this to my daily workout," he sucked the skin of her breast into his mouth.

"I'll need to get in shape while you're gone then," she laughed.

"Sounds like a good plan."

She tilted her hips and held onto his firm, tight ass as he grabbed onto his headboard for leverage. Within seconds they were both breathing harder, building up to a majestic release. "Ah!" she dug her nails into his hips as he quickened his pace.

They exploded together, yelling out their release before bursting into laughter and falling onto the bed in rapture.

"I am so glad you said yes," he kissed her bare shoulder.

"That was fun," she grinned.

"You are... definitely not like other Korean girls... and I like it."

She smiled at him.

"How long have you had this?" he flicked at her naval piercing as she giggled.

"I worked at a tattoo and piercing salon my freshman year at UCLA. I have... these," she pulled back her hair on the right side to show three lobe piercings, a double helix, and a tragus. "And these," she pulled back the left side to show her two lobe piercings and a rook. "I took the industrial out two years ago and retired my nose piercing in December."

"You're such a rebel."

She nibbled on his arm before sitting up to grab her towel.

"Where are you going?" he reached for her.

"It's getting late and I'm not sure when he's coming home."

"Damn," he sighed.

"Have a safe trip."

"I'll text you."

"Okay."

"Come here," he held out his hand.

She took it and was pulled down for a kiss. "Be a good girl."

"I will try."

"Do you want me to bring anything back?"

"See's Candy."

"Is that a thing?"

"Oh yeah."

"Okay," he kissed her once more.

"Goodnight."

"Goodnight," he licked his lips and watched her leave.

#

"Hyung," Jimin peeked into his room to see him running his fingers through his hair. "Hey. Is there an interview I forgot about?" he glanced down at his phone.

"No," he smiled shyly. "I am meeting MinYeon-ie for a meal."

"Like... a date?" he asked slowly.

He nodded his head. "Today she met with her professors and went over her schedule. I have a feeling she's going to need a drink."

"Ah... have fun with that," he nodded before walking out. He sighed as he walked down to TaeHyung's room and peeked in to see him watching a movie. "I'm going to order some food," he leaned against the door.

"Are you alright?"

"Just perfect," he lied. "Are you hungry?"

"Sure. Let's pick out a movie."

"Thanks, bro," he sighed as he ordered.

Across town at Seoul National University, MinYeon sat through her introduction. "The College of Music was founded in December of 1945 by the late Dr. Jem-yung Hyun and was named the Kyung Sung School of Music. In August 1946, the School was reorganized and included into the Music Department of Seoul National University's School of Art."

She felt her eyes slowly lowering as she sat in the lecture hall.

"Every facet of music is studied at Seoul National University College of Music. Owing to its eminently qualified professors and excellent students, the College of Music has become the center of music education in Korea.

"Students who have obtained a bachelor's degree or an equivalent from an accredited four-year college in Korea or a foreign country may apply for a master's degree program. Applicants must pass the entrance examination, which is held annually in November."

"Yes, I know. That's why I'm here," she whispered under her breath.

As soon as the class was let out, she jumped into a taxi and headed to the address YoonGi texted her. As soon as she gave her name at the entrance, she was whisked off to a private room for supper.

"My professors are all dinosaurs," she complained after taking a rather long drink of her soju. "My advisor's name is Min Eun-gi, though. I got a giggle from that," she smirked.

"That's an old name."

"Because she's a dinosaur, keep up," she smiled. "She listed her phone number as her email. She either doesn't have email or doesn't know how to create her profile. I am so screwed," she whined.

"But this is just new admissions. Classes for the summer don't begin until what, June?"

"That will make her older, not younger."

"True," he grinned.

"I am going to be a teaching assistant in 'Training for Music Software' 1 and 2. I really hope it doesn't suck."

"What do you actually learn as a Master?"

"To teach others, usually, and to prove that we are wise enough to do so. My summer project is to strip down and reengineer a contemporary musical. I have a study group. It should not be a problem. Until I suggest 'Best Little Whore House in Texas' at our first meeting. I might actually live feed it for entertainment value."

YoonGi spit out his drink as he grabbed his sides from laughing so hard.

"You're going to ruin your amazing makeup," she threw a dinner napkin at him as he tried desperately to calm down.

"Forgive me, your highness," he blotted his face and the table.

After dinner, they walked along the Han River holding hands, their conversation never dropping as they discussed their days.

"You know," he looked down at their clasped hands. "I've never liked holding hands."

"Why not?"

"I'm so hard on mine. They're calloused and I have hangnails... they're not sexy."

She stopped and looked down at his hands. "You're talking to a fellow musician," she showed him her fingers. "I play guitar too..."

He lifted her hand to look at her calloused fingertips. "You still have pretty hands."

"That's because I get manicures and don't chew my nails," she cocked her eyebrow as her eyes met his.

"Guilty," he shrugged his shoulders. "I like holding your hand, though. More than I thought I would."

"I'm actually a big hand-holder. And hugger. And cuddler in general. I don't get the whole opposite sex boundary thing. As we grow up, we're taught to trust our friends and siblings... our parents. We kiss and hug and show affection... and then one day we grow up and are expected to stop. I don't get it," she sighed as she looked down and pushed her hair over her ear. "

"I like those," he looked at the piercings on her left ear, changing the subject entirely. "How many more piercings do you have?"

"Um... six in my right ear and my navel."

"Mwo?" he stepped back.

"I've taken a few out... My brother would have burst a vein over the nose stud."

"What else did you change to fit back in?"

She studied his eyes for a moment. "I changed my number and didn't give it to anyone in LA. Oh, and I just changed my Kakao username again. I'm 'Minion95' now."

"You don't have any college friends?"

"I have a lot, and I miss them... I just also have an ex who creeps me out and I don't want him to have my number."

"Is it that bad?"

"He needs help, but he's convinced some of our friends that I was the crazy one. They don't believe me."

"Did he hurt you?"

"Once," she growled. "And I broke his nose."

He nodded his head. "Good girl."

"Yeah, well... I'm a 3rd Dan black belt in TaeKwonDo, so..."

"That's good to know," he raised his hands.

"Oppa has black belts in Kempo, Tae KwonDo, and Wushu," she informed him. "And apparently his members are terrified of him."

"I believe it. You have the same stare sometimes."

"What stare?"

"Like you're planning someone's death. Your facial expressions are amusing."

"I'm amusing?" she laughed.

"Extremely," he watched her fondly.

She watched him for a moment before shaking her head and walking.

It was nearly two in the morning by the time they made it back to his car.

Her phone buzzed, causing her to pull it from her bag to take a look. She was rarely contacted past midnight, unless it was a man she was dating or her brother.

GuriMin: I just got home. Where are you?

Minion_95: I had a meeting with my project group.

GuriMin: When will you be home? I'd like to see you before we leave.

Yoon-Gi glanced over her shoulder and smiled. "Oppa wins. I'll take you home."

"But I just told him I was with my project group."

He raised his eyebrows and waited.

"You could drop me off down the street..."

"Have you seen the fans that stake out their dorm?"

"Yes," she answered. "But you picked me up and dropped me off the other day..."

"Every time we're together, we'll be closer to getting caught."

"Right," she sighed.

"Taxi," they both answered.

He reached for his phone and called a taxi for her before sitting back to wait. "Well, I guess I'll have to do this here then," he leaned closer to her.

"Wh..." she was cut when he dropped his lips down to meet hers. She wove her fingers through his hair as they deepened their kiss. There they sat, in his car, exploring one another's mouths for the first time. The scenery around them felt as though it were spinning out of control as they gently, sweetly took turns returning kisses. It seemed like they had been locked together for hours when they finally broke apart to gaze in each other's eyes.

"You are... hand's down... the best kisser," he whispered before laughing shyly.

"It's the pouty lips," she grinned at him.

"I don't want you to leave," he fought to control his breathing.

"I'm sure you have things to do," she glanced over her shoulder as the taxi arrived.

He kissed her again before she smiled and pushed him away.

"I'm going," she licked her bottom lip. "We can continue this the next time I see you."

"Promise?" he kissed her.

"Definitely," she growled as he dropped his shoulders in defeat and fell back into his seat.

She quickly jumped out and slid into the taxi, leaving nothing but silence after it pulled away.

"I'm not supposed to do this," he whispered into the air. "I'm not supposed to do this," he repeated. "I'm not supposed to do this. God damn it," he cursed himself.

#

LOEY: Good morning, jagi-ya.

Minion_95: Good evening.

LOEY: Have you ever seen one of these? *insert photo of California sunrise*

Minion_95: Many times. Isn't it beautiful?

LOEY: Not as beautiful as this. *Insert photo of her dressed up at a photo call*

Minion_95: Who sent you that? It was from the CBX release party.

LOEY: I have good friends.

Minion_95: At least I look good. I'm glad you like it.

LOEY: Oh shit! We're live and I just got caught on my phone. Bye Jagi!

"I am not your honey," she whispered in English under her breath as she returned to the music she was working on.

A few minutes later, she received a phone call. "Yeobosayo," she sighed.

"Are you busy?" YoonGi asked.

"I am working on a song right now," she ran her fingers through her hair.

"I have a few hours free and thought we could grab a coffee or something."

She rolled her eyes around in thought. There was an urgency in his voice that concerned her. He sounded like he really needed to talk at that moment. "I can spare an hour or two, but I'm actually being paid for this one and there's an ASAP deadline."

"Where are you?"

"On campus since my studio's not up yet."

"Okay, meet me at Nukseongdae Park. I'll bring the coffee."

"Caramel Macchiato, upside down."

"What?"

"Car-a-mel Mac-chi-a-to," she spoke slower.

"Okay. I'm leaving now."

"I'll be there," she ended the call and immediately cleaned up her area before locking her things away into a cabinet and dashing off to the park.

Since she walked and he drove, she arrived only minutes before he did. She sat on a bench, making notes on her phone for some changes to the song she was working on.

"You're really into that song, I'm sorry," he sat beside her.

"No, you sounded desperate," she turned to him, dropping her phone into her lap and giving him her full attention.

"Not desperate. Just selfish," he leaned in to give her a quick kiss.

"YoonGi-ya," she whispered before looking around.

He grinned at her shyness. "Still a Korean girl, huh?" he teased her.

"A little," she bit her lip. "What happened to that shy guy who needed me to reassure him at the KOMCA banquet?"

"What?" he scrunched his face up as he looked up under his bangs.

"MiHyeon-ssi told me you were shy and needed to be reassured because you were so nervous."

He threw his head back and smiled before looking back down at her. "I can't be mad."

"So you're not shy?

"Here," he handed her an iced Americano.

She burst into laughter. "I knew it!"

"The barista had no idea what I was saying, but she knew Americano."

"Thank you," she looked him over. "Video shoot?"

"Did the curly hair give it away?" he played with his hair.

"I like it."

"Good, because a million other girls need to like it too."

She caught the tone of his voice. "You need to take a deep breath," she took his hand.

He cocked his eyebrow and watched her, an amused smirk on his face.

"Come on, yoga breathing. Deep breaths, Suga," she commanded as he burst into laughter. "You have a lot of things coming up, the biggest is in Las Vegas. The schedule is set. All you need to do is show up and do what you do best. Take your hands off of what you can't control and put them back on what you can."

He squeezed her hand and nodded. "Thank you."

"You didn't get here on a whim. You really are that good. Stop overthinking it."

He nodded once again and lifted her hand to his lips. He then let out a deep breath.

"Better?"

"Yeah," he looked up at her and smiled. "I'm glad I called you."

"Me too," she pulled her hand away and took a drink of her coffee.

"So, how's the EXO dorm?"

"Oppa, Baek-Hyun, and Chen have been in and out at all hours. They left this morning for Yokahama. Everyone else is gone," she shrugged her shoulders. "I might invite my cousins and a few friends from school to play in the pool."

The image of her donning a bikini flashed through his mind as he changed the subject. "Any word on your apartment?"

"I'm moving in on the 27th. It's a two-minute drive from Big Hit."

"Nice. I have a fansign that day, but I can come help later if you need me to."

"Okay."

He nodded as he looked out at the park. "Okay. I'll take you back to campus."

"So soon?" she reached for his arm. "Am I that poor of company today?"

"No. Exactly the opposite," he rested his forehead on her shoulder. "All I want to do right now is take you to the empty EXO dorm and sleep for the rest of the day."

"Sleep?" she sounded rejected as she looked down at her coffee.

"I'm being a good boy," he whispered into her ear. "Oppa would approve."

"What he doesn't know won't hurt him," she whispered back.

"That does not make me want to be a good boy," he pulled away and looked at her.

"And this coffee break would last well after our two-hour time limit," she teased him just to get the scowl that she indeed received from him.

"I can see that I'm the one who has to be responsible in this relationship," he sighed. "What a sad turn of events."

"Our relationship is a party and you're my Designated Driver."

"That is so unfair. I want to get drunk too."

"Go to work first," she leaned in to kiss him. "I'll see you in a week."

"A week," he sighed.

"Have a safe trip."

"Be a good girl," he growled.

"Never," she winked at him before walking off to return to the campus.

#

"What are you watching, Hyung?" Jimin watched a video over his shoulder.

"MinYeon-ie is a YouTuber in her spare time," he smirked. "She's pretty good, too."

"Is there anything she's not good at?"

"I honestly don't think so," he mumbled before plopping a chip into his mouth.

Jimin glanced at the channel title and searched YouTube for a moment before finding a video to watch. It opened with her glancing over a pair over sunglasses at the camera. "I have a confession. I look better in these sunglasses than Xiumin."

He burst into laughter as the opening music began and was immediately hooked. She was beautiful, well-spoken, and smart. She seemed to exude confidence, but something told him there was much, much more. The more he learned, the more he wanted her.

"Anneyong chingu! I'm Mina and the Korean word of the week is galbi, which means 'short ribs.' Can you guess what we're doing today? We're eating galbi. In Seoul. Because I'm hoooooome!!!!" she recorded while walking along the busy street. "Located in Gangnam near Kpop entertainment companies is Maposuchbul Galbi, a 24-hour Korean BBQ restaurant.

"After Korean dramas wrap up their filming, crews flock in for late night dinners. Naturally, there are tons of celebrity sightings. Look at the walls. There are tons of Kpop stars, actors and actresses, and their customer photos are posted everywhere."

Once filming was wrapped up, she looked down at her phone to see that she had messages. Who knew that dating multiple men would be this exciting? Every time she would take a break from her work to check her phone, ChanYeol and YoonGi had texted her from the States.

ChanYeol was in love with American pizza.

YoonGi really liked Chipotle.

ChanYeol took videos of gas log fireplaces to send to her.

YoonGi complained how hot it was in LA.

ChanYeol began a discussion on why American women wore so few clothes.

YoonGi began a discussion on how Americans don't film Kpop well because they move more on stage than other acts.

Selcas on the beach, on Ellen and the James Cordon shows, before rehearsal, after rehearsal, while driving, while eating...

She barely had time to miss them when they communicated so regularly.

And then, there was a new message. She stared at it a moment before she realized who it was from. Her heart began to pound in her chest as she licked her lips and grinned.

Lucky13: Hello, MinYeon-ssi. My hyung gave me your Kakao ID.

She raised her eyebrows and giggled before answering.

Minion_95: Hello, Jimin-ssi. How are you liking America?

Lucky13: The food seems more amazing this time. Especially the tacos.

Minion_95: I wish I was there to show you the best places.

Lucky13: Next time you should come with us.

Minion_95: That sounds like a good idea.

Lucky13: I started watching your vlogs. I really like them!

Minion_95: Thank you. Perhaps you should be on one.

Lucky13: I would like that a lot.

"Me too," she whispered to herself.

By the time she returned to the dorm and plopped down onto the sofa, she finally received a text that was not from either of them, and it took her by surprise.

GuriMin: Are you busy?

Minion_95: Not at this very moment.

GuriMin: Did you finish the project you were working on for A.C.E.?

Minion_95: Yes.

GuriMin: Would you like to come to Nagoya on Saturday?

Minion_95: Yes please!

GuriMin: One of our managers will pick you up in the morning and bring you to the airport.

Minion_95: Thank you, Oppa!

GuriMin: Be careful. Have a safe trip. I'll see you soon. Love you, Yeonnie.

Minion_95: I love you too, Oppa.

#

MinYeon sat on the sofa with an earbud in, watching a live broadcast of BTS's comeback preview. Occasionally, she'd laugh as SeHun sat at the table and watched her.

"What's so funny?" he asked.

"A show on VLive," she answered without looking up at him.

"Which one?"

"Bangtan," she glanced up at him. "They are performing their comeback stage in the States. It's bold."

"It is. They're making Kpop very popular around the world. I wish we could do that."

"Why can't you? Just because they were the first doesn't mean EXO can't be there next year."

"Good point," he smiled at her.

The doorbell rang as they both rose to answer. He helped her with her bags and to the car.

"Tell my hyungs I said hi."

"I will. I'll see you soon!" she waved as they took off.

It took her a while to get through the airport and settled into her flight, but once she did she received a text from Yoon-Gi.

MYG_93: What are you doing right now?

Minion_95: On a plane to Nagoya to see CBX.

Minion_95: You?

MYG_93: *insert photo of him sitting next to Jimin on a sofa with a shiba hat on his head*

Minion_95: I saw the VLive. You looked adorable. Tired, but adorable.

MYG_93: Aish! Not hot? Handsome?

Minion_95: You were both super-hot, especially with your hats.

MYG_93: I'm good with that.

Minion_95: Good luck on your historical performance ahead of you.

MYG_93: Send me another selca.

Minion_95: *Insert photo of the tray in front of her, with her knees peeking through holes in her jeans*

MYG_93: Naked knees. That's hot.

Minion_95: Get some sleep.

MYG_93: Goodnight. Have fun in Japan.

She landed in Nagoya, met by another manager who took her straight to the hotel to meet with her brother and his members. They quickly had food brought in and shared a meal as they caught up.

"Thank you for bringing me here. I didn't have any plans this weekend."

"Have your classes started?" BaekHyun asked her.

"No, just the registration process. Summer classes begin the 22nd of June. My team has already been meeting, though. We have an idea of what we want to accomplish for our project, we're just waiting to be assigned so we know the parameters. There's no use in working on it now if we end up overdoing it and having to make changes."

"You have a point," MinSeok agreed.

"I have been contacted by the producers of 'About Time' about a few songs."

"The drama?" JongDae asked.

She nodded her head. "Someone there is friends with someone from Beat Interactive, who manages A.C.E."

"So what went on there?" her brother asked her. "They cancelled their comeback and rescheduled it for June?"

"Chan left the group, I don't know the circumstances. Their comeback was a repackaged album. I had to strip the songs down, take him out, rework vocals, and then... add the KMY touch. I've heard nothing but praise from their company and members. I'm really looking forward to their comeback."

"Me too," BaekHyun grinned at her.

"How did you get that job?" Jondae asked her.

"It was supposed to be a shit job," she complained. "I was supposed to work with another group, but the director was an ass who couldn't keep his hands to himself. When I complained to the company, they pulled me out of the project and threw me into the A.C.E. shit storm. Chan will miss the comeback to join another group and MIXNINE was cancelled by YG entertainment which brought Gonghun and Wow back. Everything had to be rerecorded."

"You don't seem too emotional about that," BaekHyun watched her.

"I've dealt with worse," she shrugged her shoulders. "Work is work."

"What's his name?" MinSeok glared at her.

"I'm not telling you. It is handled."

"Have you heard any more about the apartment?" her brother changed the topic for fear of losing his temper.

"It will be ready on the 27th. I did a final walk-through and signed the papers. My studio has a patio door in it, so I'm going to put up a piece of plywood and cover it with a dampener to help with reverb. Mom and Dad have already made the plans to have my things sent and arrive by the time I get there. YoonGi-ssi is going to help me put my studio together."

All three sets of eyes turned to her.

"No one else was available?" JongDae smirked.

"No," she spoke slowly. "And since he's put three studios together, and he offered..."

"I get it," BaekHyun waved his hands. "He really is a good choice."

MinSeok kicked him under the table as MinYeon rolled her eyes. "Seriously?" she mumbled.

"Are you... dating anyone?" JongDae asked.

"In the Korean sense of dating, no. There are a few men I speak to regularly, and we... sometimes meet up for coffee or dinner or..."

"Tour their studios?" MinSeok raised his eyebrows, giving her a knowing glare.

"Perhaps," she nodded.

"You and ChanYeol sound perfect..." BaekHyun began as he caught MinSeok's eyes. "Wae?" he turned to MinYeon. "Channie?! Seriously?!"

She closed her eyes, shook her head, and simply laughed. There was really nothing more she could do. "I was here for five days when he left for the States. Seriously?" she tilted her head.

"He can't lie to us. We'll see him on the first and corner him when he's jet lagged and ready to crash," JongDae rubbed his hands together.

"Aish," she giggled. "One Oppa is bad enough, I don't need three!"

"Apparently, you do," Min-Seok glared at her.

"I'm 24, Oppa. I've been on my own for four years. Please..."

"You are my responsibility in Seoul. Our parents don't live close enough to keep an eye on you like I can."

"Hardly, you're too busy."

"Yeonnie... You are my responsibility and I don't think you should be worrying about men at all. How will you have time to date once your classes begin and you're working on music for TV dramas?"

"As it always does... the way it is meant," she sighed. "You can't stop something from happening that is meant to be. Just... chill and let it happen."

"You two are so different," JongDae whispered aloud.

#

MinYeon woke up to a text at four in the morning. She yawned and pulled her phone toward her face to see that it was from YoonGi. They had arrived in Las Vegas and gone directly to the BBMA stage to rehearse with the camera crew. They didn't want to make the same mistakes as the talk shows, they wanted to ensure that their camera operators knew exactly what their choreography was. They repeated the song seven times for them so that they could take notes and prepare for their performance.

Jimin sent a photo of the group with Zedd.

She laughed before laying the phone back down beside her. She had only arrived back in Korea herself a few hours earlier, opting to stay an extra day and night with her brother and do a little sightseeing.

A few hours later, she had received a selca of YoonGi wearing the clothes she had picked out for him with the message, "All Gucci'd up!" she couldn't help but laugh as she chewed on her kimchi fried rice while sitting at the table.

"What are you laughing about in here," JongIn shuffled out of the kitchen with a cup of coffee in his hand.

"JungKook really likes hotdogs," she showed him a photo. "He's had several since they got to the States."

"You're friends with BTS?" he grabbed a rice spoon and stole a bite of her rice.

"Yes," she answered confidently.

"Are you watching the Billboard Awards?" he walked off and searched for the remote control before turning on the television and searching for where it would be showing. "It doesn't begin for another hour."

"Thanks," she sat her phone aside to eat her food.

After eating, she cleaned up her mess and poured herself a cup of coffee before walking out to join Kai and now SeHun who had joined them.

"The red carpet is starting," they waved her in.

She smirked at them and took a seat as they quietly watched the show.

She sat and listened to the men, a year older than herself, in a deep discussion about the curvy hips of American women. "Taylor Swift is quite slim," she informed them. "She's 5'10", but she's wearing platform heels tonight."

"Wae?" they asked her.

She nodded. "Kelly Clarkson looks great," she pointed out.

They were quiet a moment until BTS arrived.

"Woah. They look so confident this year," JongIn commented.

"More comfortable," SeHun agreed.

"Look at Jimin-ah!"

"You know Jimin?" she asked while looking him over on the television.

"Yeah, we're friends. I think he's your age. He's such a good dancer. I'm jealous of him."

"Does he always look that thin?"

"He's always struggled with diets. He has a round face and thinks he looks fat," he sighed.

"I understand completely," she chewed on her lip.

The idols went back and forth with their comments until they realized that MinYeon had been silent the entire time.

"Hmm?" she looked up when they had caught her attention.

"Your body was here, but your mind was somewhere else," SeHun laughed.

"I just think it's funny. I lived there just a month ago and now they're there and I'm in Korea."

"True," JongIn laughed.

As they watched the other acts walk the carpet, she received another text.

MYG_93: You were right.

Minion_95: Ne?

MYG_93: *inserts photo of the band posing with Taylor Swift*

MYG_93: Taylor Swift molested me.

She burst out laughing, grabbing her sides as the image of Taylor's hand on YoonGi's shoulder filled her mind. That was all she did, touch his shoulder and pose next to him for a photo.

"What?" SeHun smiled as he watched her.

"I warned them that American women were handsy and had no barriers with skinship. YoonGi just sent a photo where Taylor Swift has her hand on his shoulder..." she began laughing again. "And he said that she molested him!"

The other two laughed as she lost her breath. JongIn threw a box of tissues across the room because she also had tears running down her eyes.

"Oh my God," she dabbed at her eyes.

About an hour after the awards ended, MinYeon's phone rang for a video chat. She suddenly jumped up and ran to her brother's room as SeHun and JongIn looked at one another.

"Yeobosayo!" she giggled as she plopped down onto the bed.

"This is nonsense! We just won our 2nd BBMA award! We just performed a comeback stage at the BBMAs! AH!"

"You were great! You all danced so hard. You must be exhausted!"

"I could sleep for a week!"

"MinYeon-ah!" Jimin waved at her from over YoonGi's shoulder.

"Hi!" she giggled at him. "You can't sleep for a week! I'm fairly sure you have promotions as soon as you get back."

"Ugh. We come home tomorrow. I'm going to sleep until our press conference the next day."

"That sounds excellent," she watched him through the camera.

"Come be my pillow."

"What?"

"You heard me. Naps count as a date."

There was silence as they stared at one another. She saw Jimin's posture change as he stepped back and turned his attention to TaeHyung. In Korean culture there is an unwritten rule of dating. When a man asked you to his house or apartment, there was an expectation of something much more than sleeping.

"Okay."

"I'll call for a car to come get you. Wear pajamas."

"You're crazy."

"I miss you and I want to sleep. This way I'll get both. I'm a genius."

She covered a yawn before answering. "You are."

"Why are you sleepy? The sun is up there."

"My flight got in after midnight and you started blowing up my phone at four, genius."

"Ah," he grinned at her. "You weren't out with other men then."

"Just for that, I'm hanging up."

"Get some sleep!"

"You too!" she ended the call before rolling over onto her back and letting out a deep sigh. It wasn't long before she closed her eyes and fell asleep.

As he sat back after speaking with her, he stared at the wall. Did he just really invite a woman to his house? He did. Oh shit.

"You seem panicked," SeokJin sat beside him. "The performance is over. You can relax now," he laughed.

"I'm in shock."

"From the award?"

"I just asked MinYeon over when we get home. I thought it, and it came right out."

"Ah," he patted his shoulder. "Congratulations."

"How do you know she accepted?"

"You're smiling like an idiot," he grinned. "I like this. You seem more relaxed. Happy. Fun."

"Was I really that miserable before?"

"No, you were focused on other things. Now... you're finally living for something other than music. It's good to see."

He smirked and shrugged his shoulders.

"They say that you can't love another until you can love yourself. Maybe you're finally there?"

He watched silently as his hyung walked off before letting out a deep breath. He didn't catch the look on Jimin's face as he turned away and sighed.

#

Min-Seok walked in from taking a shower to find his sister in a pair of green and blue flannel pajama pants, with a white tank and black zip-up hoodie. It was after noon and she hadn't done her makeup or put her contacts in, and her hair was in two braids that were draped over her shoulders.

"Is everything okay?" he grew concerned that being gone as much as he and CBX had been was taking a toll on his sister's arrival in Korea.

"Hm?" she looked up from her phone. "I'm fine. Why?"

"It's in the afternoon and you're still in your pajamas. Have you slept?"

"A little here and there."

He made a face as her phone buzzed.

"I may not come home until tomorrow," she let him know while texting.

"Why?"

"I've never had a nap date before."

"A nap date?"

"Yeah."

"I thought you didn't want a boyfriend?"

"I don't. This is a date."

"MinYeon-ah..."

"My ride's here," she jumped up, kissed his cheek, grabbed a small bag, and dashed out the door to a waiting car.

"Aish," he mumbled before turning to his room to change.

The driver provided identification at the gate guard and asked for hers as well. They were then directed to the mansion at the east side of the complex. She stepped out of the car and through the gate of a house as the door opened. He was wearing a pair of red flannel pajama bottoms with a white t-shirt and black zip-up hoodie as well, with a black ball cap pushing the dark bangs over his swollen, puffy eyes.

"Welcome back," she smiled as he took her by the hand and pulled her inside the house.

For being a house filled with seven men in their twenties, it was quiet. Everyone was jet lagged and exhausted from their mad schedule in the States and were using the next 24 hours to catch up on sleep.

She kicked off her shoes at the front of the hall as he continued to pull her to the stairs.

He pointed out the kitchen, bathrooms, and bedrooms on the main floor before heading up the stairs.

"Okay," she let him know she was listening.

"Jin's room is to the left and mine's to the right," he pulled her through the door and closed it behind them. He then stopped and turned to face her. He stared into her eyes a moment before tossing his cap aside, slipping his fingers into the pockets of her hoodie, and pulling her close to him. He then rested his forehead against hers and clamped his eyes shut.

"I've never done this before," he whispered.

"What?"

"Missed someone as badly as I missed you," his eyes remained closed as he spoke. "I can't stop thinking about you and it's driving me crazy."

"I'm here now. You can ease your mind," she brushed her nose against his.

"God, you smell so good," his voice rumbled against her chest.

She pulled back slightly to look at his face. Her heart pounded in her chest as she felt a natural pull toward him. Closing her eyes, she reached out to grab handfuls of his hoodie as his lips brushed against hers.

He moaned into her mouth as he moved his hands from the pockets of her hoodie to her waist.

His kisses were so different from ChanYeol's. ChanYeol was aggressive, passionate, and possessive where Yoon-Gi's was gentle, slow, and sensual. He took his time exploring her lips, mouth, and tongue, leaving her breathless and an urge for more— but that would have to wait.

She loosened her grip on his hoodie and moved to unzip it as his eyes flashed open.

"Sleep," she urged him. "I will not be responsible for your collapse," she pushed the thick material from his shoulders. "I'll be your designated driver today."

He smiled while gently pulling her glasses off and placing them on his side table. He then unzipped her hoodie and removed it from her as well.

They crawled into bed where he lay on his back with his left arm out and left leg pronated. She rested on her right side, her head on his arm and left leg draped over his. She placed her left hand on his chest as he wrapped his left arm around her head.

"Best date ever," he chuckled before gently kissing her forehead.

She pulled the duvet up to their chins and relaxed into his arms.

They were asleep in minutes.

#

It was well after dark when she became aware of a tiny tongue licking her cheek, waking her up with a smile. At that time she had shifted to her left side and he was spooned up behind her, his right arm across her abdomen, their legs and feet intertwined.

"Hello," she whispered to the tiny Pomeranian dog.

He sat quickly, looking her over before placing his tiny paw on her cheek.

"Tannie," YoonGi growled, half asleep.

"Yeontan!" a voice called from the doorway.

"In here," YoonGi called out, his voice raw and hoarse from sleep.

"Oh, sorry hyung..." his body froze when he stepped into the room and saw a woman in his senior member's bed.

YoonGi smiled as he sat up. "Kim TaeHyung, Kim MinYeon."

He bowed quickly, the awkward tension filling the room. "First Jin-hyung-nim and now you, hyung?" he raised his eyebrows.

"Yes," he smirked.

"Hello," she waved. "Your dog is very cute."

"Thank you," he clicked his tongue. "Tannie!"

They both quickly exited as he plopped back down onto his back and stretched. "That was nice and awkward."

"Hmmm," she answered in a hum, moving to reach for her phone. He pulled her back, placing his head on her abdomen and wrapping his arms around her.

"You're still on a date. Don't look at your phone."

"Right now, I feel like a pillow," she ran her fingers through his hair.

"My pillow," he closed his eyes. "I like this."

She smirked at him as her stomach growled loudly.

His eyes popped open. "My pillow is hungry."

"Then feed me," she playfully pushed his head.

"I have a high maintenance pillow," he laughed and pulled away before she could smack him. He then moved to her side. "I'll feed you for a kiss."

"You don't have to ask for those."

TaeHyung walked down to the living room to find Jimin sitting on the sofa, nose-deep in his phone. "Both hyungs have their girls over."

He raised his eyebrows. "Hannah-noona and..."

"MinYeon-ssi?"

"Really?" his face dropped. "Are they serious?"

"She's here?" he shrugged his shoulders. "You still like her?"

"She's a 95-Liner like us," he nodded. "JongIn-ie-hyung told me she's staying in the EXO dorm until her apartment's ready."

"She's the one who is Xiumin's sister? Whoa... She's pretty. She doesn't even need makeup."

"Right?" he smirked at him.

"She seems more like your type than hyung-ie's."

"My type?" he smirked.

"Gorgeous, perfect, overly friendly... like you."

"Whatever," he chuckled.

He watched his best friend and tilted his head. "You definitely like her."

"She's very likable," he nodded his head.

"Hmph," he pursed his lips and glanced back up toward the stairs.

Yoongi leaned down for a quick kiss that ended up lasting much longer than he anticipated.

"Aish," he pushed away. "Food." He reached for his phone and looked through his ordering apps. "Jjajangmyeon?"

"Sounds good."

"Ordered," he tossed his phone and returned to her side. "Sleep well?"

"Yes."

"Good," he licked his bottom lip. "Will there be a search party of EXOs beating down my door if I keep you longer?"

"No. I warned Oppa I might not come home tonight."

"What did he say?" he raised his eyebrows.

"The car arrived and I ducked out before he could say anything."

He laughed at her.

"I'm a master at avoiding arguments."

"What happens when he catches up to you?"

"I will feed him and do what I can to make him happy until he calms down."

He searched her eyes. "Libra?"

She burst into giggles. "Of course."

He nodded arrogantly. "Balance... manipulative."

"That doesn't have to be bad."

"No," he agreed. "I don't think so. You act just like Jimin."

"How so?"

"You just... act like twins. Even your mannerisms."

Her buzzing phone caught her attention as they both looked toward the table.

"I don't know that number," she squinted.

"Good," he whispered before leaning in to kiss her shoulder.

"It could have been a classmate..." she closed her eyes as he moved to her neck. "I'll figure it out."

"Did you skip class for me?" he smiled against her skin.

"No. I told them I was moving this week and would be in and out of communication."

"And are you?"

"What?"

"Moving this week?" he laughed.

"Sunday."

He laughed harder.

The black bean noodles arrived, so he dashed off to retrieve them. She took the opportunity to run down the hall to the bathroom and dashed past Jimin and Hoseok's room. He looked up and smiled before walking out to the hall and waiting.

She walked out and stopped as he looked down at her. "Hi."

"Hi," he grinned at her. "Comfy?" he looked her over.

"Yeah... sleep date," she giggled.

"I didn't think you were supposed to sleep on a date," he crossed his arms.

"It's different," she sighed. "But so is YoonGi."

"True," he agreed. "You know, I'm friends with JongIn-ie..."

"He told me," she slid her hands into the pockets of her hoodie. "He's jealous of your dance skills."

"I doubt you were supposed to tell me that," he laughed.

"He shouldn't have told me, then," she shrugged her shoulders.

He grinned brightly, looking into her eyes much more intensely than any man she had remembered before. "If you get tired of sleeping..." he nodded toward his room.

"What would you rather do?" she sucked her bottom lip into her mouth.

His eyes dropped to her lips. "Anything you want."

The breath caught in her throat as her heart skipped a beat. "Anything?"

"Yeon-ah..."

They looked up to see YoonGi waiting with two bags of food and drinks.

"Goodnight," she winked at him before walking off to YoonGi's room.

He set up their food in the middle of his bed as she laughed.

"We're eating in bed?" she quipped.

"Yes, we are," he passed her chopsticks and a bowl. He then opened his laptop and set it between them to watch the videos from America. "What did you do besides respond to my texts?" he smirked.

"Ummm... there was a group called A.C.E."

"Dance music?"

"Yes. They scrapped their repackaged album because a member quit just a few weeks before their comeback and then two members who quit came back. Someone got my info. I stripped down their existing tracks and rearranged it. It took about a week to reengineer it. It will release June 7th now."

"Can I hear it?"

She reached out and typed the link for their track listings on a secured network. They listened to the first track for a minute before she pressed a few buttons. "Black & Blue is my favorite."

It started off with a bass beat and rap. He bounced his head to the beat as he listened.

"Is it crazy that I know exactly what you added?"

"You've been listening to my SoundCloud and you're a writer... it's not weird."

They listened to the other tracks before turning to BTS footage and finished dinner before going back to sleep.

As she rode in the car back toward the EXO dorm the next morning, she finally took a good look at her text messages.

Unknown: You can't hide from me, Mina. We were meant to be together. I will always find you.

Her tongue went dry as she dropped her phone into her lap and threw her head back against the seat. After a few breaths, she took a screen shot before deleting the text and blocking the number.

#

LOEY: Jagi-ya.

Minion_95: Yes.

LOEY: I miss you.

Minion_95: Five days left.

LOEY: We need to meet up.

Minion_95: I'm moving to my new place as I type. And EXO's leaving for Hong Kong the day after you get home.

LOEY: Aish

LOEY: The 4th? I want to take you out.

Minion_95: It's a date.

LOEY: *Inserts selca of him smiling*

LOEY: That makes me happy. Now get some rest. It's after midnight.

Minion_95: No rest for the weary.

LOEY: Be careful. I don't want you to get sick before I get home.

Minion_95: I won't. I promise. Goodnight.

She had returned to her work and was at the top of a ladder, screwing in anchors to the ceiling as someone knocked at her door.

"Come in!" she yelled before letting out a grunt.

"Yeonnie?" YoonGi noticed a shoe holding the door open to let him in.

"Hands! Full!"

He leisurely let himself in, kicking the shoe out of the way so that the door would close and lock it after him. He placed the bags of food, tools, and equipment on her kitchen counter and noticed the appliances with huge, blue ribbons on them before kicking off his shoes and walking off to where he heard her voice.

"What th..." he found her straddling a step ladder in an EXO hoodie and Nike running shorts, screwing the third anchor into the ceiling.

"You are going to break your neck," he scolded her.

"It's not like I haven't done it before," she answered, pulling out another anchor from her front pocket.

"Stop, stop, stop..." he held his hand out for her to step down off the ladder. "I can do that."

"Because I'm just a wimpy girl?"

"No. Because if I get injured, I'll get to sit and not have to dance during promotions," he grinned.

"You are a genius," she giggled.

She stepped off the last step and he pulled her into his arms for a kiss.

"I will kick you out if you keep distracting me," she teased him.

"I'll take my chances," he nipped at her nose before pushing away to climb up the ladder. She placed the anchor into his outreached hand and pointed to the marks she had made when measuring. He screwed the anchor in and looked down at her. "Now what?"

"The ceiling dampener," she pointed to a box the size of a single bed frame, covered in red velvet and pine shingles. "Each corner has a chain, and each chain now has an anchor," she pointed to the ceiling.

He nodded as they carefully raised the box together. He climbed up the ladder and attached the first side as she held the box above her head and waited. He then moved the ladder to attach the opposite side. He climbed down as they looked up at their work.

"That's really nice, especially with the foam rolls in the middle."

"I made it myself," she smiled, proud of herself as she turned to immediately begin unboxing white strips for track lighting. "See those canvases upholstered in damask? I use them as dampeners for the walls. I want the taupe ones on that wall," she pointed. "The red ones go over the sofa, and that will be on that wall."

He nodded his head and went to work. Once the walls were finished, the furniture was moved in and set up. Her entire sound board nearly reached from one end of the room to the other. "And this is smaller than your studio in LA?"

"My entire living room was my studio," she laughed.

"Ah," he grinned.

They spent the next four hours unpacking equipment and putting together her soundboard, computers, setting up keyboards, and anchoring speakers—and of course, unpacking and placing her multitude of minions for display on the wall under the air unit.

"I need to boot up the system to make sure it works. Why don't you take a break?"

He nodded wearily before staggering out of the studio, across her bare living room, and into her bedroom where he threw himself across the bed and closed his eyes. The next thing that he knew, he was on his back. He felt the weight of a body straddling him as her sweet breath whispered across his ear.

"We don't need a designated driver tonight. We can both party."

His body came to life with a jolt as he dug his fingers into her thighs and opened his eyes. She let out a squeal as he flipped her onto the bed, pressing his body into hers as he kissed her.

The first birds of the morning began to chirp outside as he slid his hand up under her hoodie, feeling her warm skin. She sucked in her breath as he touched her, closing her eyes and sliding the tips of her fingers down his back to the waistband of his jeans. Warm hands on her, being touched—it's what she lived for. It was an addiction she never wanted to recover from.

He moved his kisses to her chin, neck, and behind her ear before inching his way down her body. She obliged him by sitting up and letting him pull her hoodie over her head before lying back to allow him to see her body for the first time. He pushed up from the bed, dropped his jeans and pulled off his shirt before sliding his fingers up to pull off her shorts. He then, beginning at the inside of her foot, kissed his way back up to her lips.

Her whimpers were just as intoxicating as her touch, and each one left him wanting more. Even as he pushed his hips into hers and slid himself inside her, her sexy sighs gave him more.

This was the moment he had been waiting for since the first time he kissed her, and it was amazing. He never dreamed that such perfection could exist in one woman.

She whimpered, her eyes clamping shut as her entire body built up around him. She exploded, her entire body feeling her release as she held tightly to him.

He stopped moving and kissed her, waiting for a sign from her as she finally opened her eyes and smiled at him. "That was nice."

He smirked at her before speaking. "Let's see if we can do it again."

The sun rose as they lay together in bliss.

"So I guess you've done that before."

"I didn't realize you wanted the virgin experience. I could have lain still and just whimpered for you."

He threw his head back in laughter. "I'm good, thanks." He kissed her nose and sighed before reality flew back to them. "Your studio's finished. What else do you need?"

"Just to unpack. My brother had appliances delivered..."

"I noticed that. The bows too?"

"It's a MinSeok-ie thing," she laughed.

"What about your living room?"

"I'll go shopping," she yawned. "Later."

"Well, you definitely need some Bangtan swag. I will take care of that immediately."

"I like the sound of that, but my brother already thinks we're together."

"He's not wrong."

"Yeah, well... he's not right either."

"True," he sighed. "It's probably better this way anyway."

She looked up at him and waited.

"We shouldn't have girlfriends, even though Jin-hyung and NamJoon both do. Our fans tend to go crazy if they even think we're dating, so we have to keep very quiet."

"Good thing I'm not your girlfriend, then."

"Exactly," he watched her. "Are you really dating someone else too?"

She looked into his eyes a moment before nodding her head. "I haven't seen him in a while. He's busy."

He squinted at her, thoughts rolling around in his head. "Do you like Jimin?"

"What do you mean?"

"It's a fairly straight-forward question."

She rolled her eyes around for a moment before answering. "Yes," she answered honestly before changing the subject. "So what happens if your company puts their foot down?" she changed the subject.

"I'm not sure they will. It's an old rule that came about because a female group who debuted before us had a lot of scandals. They ended up being forced out of the industry. PD-nim just doesn't want any scandals and I'm fairly sure we're both on board with that."

"My brother would ship my ass back to the States in a heartbeat," she laughed. "He already considers me his responsibility while I live in Seoul."

"Where else would you live?"

"I guess I'll figure that out after my internship next summer," she looked up at him.

He sighed as he ran his fingers through her hair. "Okay, no more serious talk. It's time for another nap date."

"A naked nap date?"

"These just keep getting better and better," he laughed.


	3. JUNE – LOVE AND HATE

MinYeon sat in a meeting with Total Variety Network music writers Mathi, Park Geunchul, and Jung Sumin and listened to what they had to say. She made notes as they spoke and then listened carefully to the demo they had begun.

She nodded her head quickly and went to work, doing what she did best: she stripped the layers down in her head and began reworking the song immediately.

“I need to work on this in the studio, but I already have ideas. Can we meet tomorrow to work on lyrics?”

“Yes,” Mathi looked at her schedule.

“We also need a song for a collaboration with Mackelli, but nothing we’ve come up with seems to match his style.”

She nodded her head and rolled her eyes around for a moment in thought. She then turned to her laptop, typed a few things, and pressed the space bar. A piano began to play, followed by strings. Her silky voice began as the writers turned to one another.

When I think about the day you left me

It was an exceptionally warm afternoon

I only saw the back of you then

And it was so pretty I stared for a while

“I’m fairly sure I don’t need to hear any more of this, it’s perfect,” Geunchul laughed.

“Can you send it to us so he can rehearse? We need to record it tomorrow,” Sumin asked earnestly.

“Of course,” she turned back to her laptop and sent the file to them. “Anything else?”

“Those are our only two projects at the moment,” Mathi watched her. “How many other songs do you have just… taking up space on your hard drive?”

“Hundreds,” she answered plainly. “That was one of a handful of sad, pitiful love songs that I write after watching sad, pitiful dramas,” she laughed at herself.

“I’ll listen to the whole thing and decide if it needs any changes,” Geunchel spoke. “Honestly, it doesn’t even sound like a demo. It sounds like a completed song.”

“Thank you,” she acknowledged his compliment.

They broke up and she stopped by a coffee shop before making her way back to her apartment. She sighed as she looked around at the boxes she still needed to unpack in the living room that still had no furniture. Shaking her head, she slipped out of her shoes and went straight to her studio.

Just as she was about to dive into her work, her phone buzzed.

MYG_93: Prepared to be amazed.

Minion_95: I’m just amazed that you’re up and functioning before noon.

MYG_93: That’s not it.

Minion_95: You have 30 seconds then… go.

MYG_93: *Inserts selca of himself, barefaced, leaning against his hand.*

Minion_95: Waiting on hair and makeup?

MYG_93: Me. Just me. I am amazing.

Minion_95: 😆

Minion_95: Your 30 seconds are up. Bye.

MYG_93: Can I come over tonight?

Minion_95: I’m reworking a song that is due on Tuesday. I’m waiting on feedback for a song I turned over today that will be recorded tomorrow.

MYG_93: It’s not even noon. You’ll be done by dinner time.

Minion_95: You’ll end up just watching me work.

MYG_93: I am really okay with that. If all else fails, I can watch TV.

Minion_95: You could. If I had a TV. Or sofa. Or any living room furniture.

MYG_93: You’re killing me.

She rolled her eyes and waited for him to say something else. When he did not, she went to work. She had managed to record the parts she wanted to add to the song when she finally received another text from him, two hours later.

MYG_93: Done. I’m even more amazing than I was when I woke up this morning.

Minion_95: Done? As in your performance?

MYG_93: That too. We won. Again. Raising the level of amazement even more.

Minion_95: What are you up to?

MYG_93: Just me, being amazing. See you tonight!

“I don’t have time for this,” she complained before diving back into her work.

Jimin glanced up from watching MinYeon’s latest YouTube post and quickly glanced back down as YoonGi went to work shopping on his phone. “Ready or not, today we are getting a makeover in Korea. We’re in Gangnam, about three blocks away from SM Entertainment and coincidental employer of this guy,” she tilted her camera to see her brother grinning over her shoulder.

“Hi everyone, I’m EXO’s Xiumin!”

“Kpop fans and anyone really can come to the beauty salon for a taste of Korean celebrity treatment.”

“Jenny House is my favorite place to freshen up when I’m not on a schedule,” MinSeok explained in Korean as the bottom was filled with subtitles for her International viewers. “It has become very busy the past few years since they now work with Seventeen, IOI, and BlackPink, but I manage to visit occasionally.”

“Since we’re going to be in the seat for a while, Mommy Kim is going to video us today.”

“It will be a surprise when you edit later.”

“Yes!” she clapped her hands together. “Do you think we’ll look more or less like siblings?”

“I think we look nothing alike,” he looked straight at the camera as their mother laughed from off the camera.

“Lies,” she murmured as the three of them giggled.

Jimin smiled happily. He enjoyed seeing families who were very close interact with one another and even more so because they were hers.

“You’re watching too?” JeongGuk glanced over his shoulder. “She is really fun.”

“Ne. The way she describes food is hilarious. I can’t believe she eats so much and stays so tiny.”

“Right?” he laughed. “I love the way she describes everything. She has an artistic mind. Hyung-ie said she moved into her own apartment and that she lives alone.”

“I’m thinking about sending her a housewarming gift, but I don’t know what,” Jimin looked around the room.

“Is she having jipdeuri? That would be fun.”

“Maybe. I’ll ask her.”

Lucky13: Are you having jipdeuri?

She stopped working and looked down before bursting into a bright smile.

Minion_95: I haven’t thought about it. Should I? I thought housewarmings were for married people.

Lucky13: You don’t have to invite everyone you know. Just me.

Minion_95: If I don’t finish this song, I’ll never have time to invite anyone.

Lucky13: Go to work. I’ll be waiting.

Her cheeks flushed as she thought about all of the connotations in that statement before shaking them off and returning to her work.

It was exactly three hours later that her doorbell rang.

Being snapped out of her hyper-focus formed an immediate frown on her face. She threw open the door to her studio and stomped up to her intercom. “Yeobosayo?”

“Hello, Kim-ssi. We have a delivery for you.”

“Delivery? What delivery?”

“We have a living room set, television, and surround sound speakers for you.”

She threw her head back and sighed before giving in. “Come right up,” she pressed the button to unlock the elevator.

She watched with her arms crossed as the delivery men unwrapped and installed her new belongings and was seeing them out when she received a second delivery from a flower shop. She accepted the window-leaf plant and closed the door before opening the card.

_Happy jipdeuri!_

_Jimin, JeongGuk, and TaeHyung_

She smiled as she reread the card. Green plants were a traditional housewarming gift, and this one in particular was very low maintenance. It was easy to care for and brought in good luck. Truth be told, she was more moved by the thoughtful, traditional gift than YoonGi’s furniture.

Later that night, she answered the door once more after someone knocked on it. The only people who knew the code to activate the elevator were MinSeok and YoonGi, so she had a fairly good idea who it was. She opened the door to find him leaning against the frame, a huge, gummy, arrogant smile on his face.

“Take it back,” she growled before walking off to the kitchen.

“Not happening,” he kicked off his shoes and placed a bag of food and toilet paper—another traditional housewarming gift-- on the counter before running in and jumping onto the sofa. “Yes! It’s as comfortable as I imagined.”

She stared at him for a moment with her arms crossed before bursting into a smile. “You didn’t buy this for me. You bought it for you.”

“Of course! If I’m going to be stuck here watching television all the time, I’m going to need a nice TV, a soft sofa, and a killer surround sound!”

“I can’t even be mad at you, it’s pure genius.”

“Right?” he closed his eyes and crossed his ankles.

“What are you going to do if we stop seeing each other?”

“I will have joint custody over this furniture and demand the use of it on occasion,” he answered flatly, as though he had already planned for the contingency. “Go eat some galbi so you will be in a better mood,” he pointed to the kitchen. “I’m going to set up your surround sound,” he reached for the remote control.

She shook her head before walking off to the kitchen to go through the bag of food he brought. She opened a container and pulled out a set of chopsticks as her phone buzzed in her back pocket. She bit her lip as she reached for it, knowing instantly who it was.

LOEY: I am home, Jagi-ya!

Minion_95: Welcome back.

LOEY: Are we still on for Monday night?

Minion_95: Yes. Be prepared for an inquisition. Baek, Chen, and Oppa think we’re dating.

LOEY: We are.

Minion_95: If you tell them that, Oppa will make sure we’re never alone together again.

LOEY: Understood. I will lie to the best of my ability.

Minion_95: From what I’ve heard, that’s not much.

LOEY: I will do my best. I really want to see you again.

Minion_95: Monday night.

LOEY: Monday night.

YoonGi glanced over at her from the living room and noticed the smile on her face. He cursed himself mentally before returning to his work.

Around ten, she stepped out of her studio to see him with headphones on, typing diligently on his keyboard. He was making notes, writing lyrics. He suddenly stopped and moved his hand, moving his mouth but not making any sound. She didn’t want to interrupt him, she knew too well what it was like when that happened, so she walked off to her bedroom and prepared to take a quick shower.

Soon after, he pulled off his headphones and looked toward her studio to see the door open and lights off. He heard the shower and smirked as he walked off to the bedroom. There, he dropped his clothes on the floor before sliding the door open and joining her.

“There you are,” she looked over her shoulder while rinsing her hair with the sprayer. As the steam rose into the air, he stepped behind her. Moving her hair to the side, he placed his chin on her shoulder and wrapped his arms around her in a tight squeeze. “Thanks for letting me finish,” he whispered.

“You’re welcome,” she turned to catch his lips. “Next time be prepared to be attacked.”

“Please, no,” he smiled as he spoke sarcastically.

“I’m sure you’ll hate every minute of it,” she pressed her body into his.

“Let’s get soapy, baby,” he reached for the soap as she sprayed down the front of him. He lathered up his hands before rubbing them across her skin, up and down, all around her body. “Turn around,” he murmured as she obeyed.

They took turns soaping up and rinsing off one another, teasing until they could no longer stand it.

“Okay,” he growled against her skin. “I refuse to die from slipping in the shower and breaking my hip and that is exactly where this is headed,” he turned off the water and reached for a towel.

“I’m dating an old man,” she giggled.

“You think so?” he dried her off gingerly before wrapping the towel around his waist. He then swept her off her feet as she yelped. “This part I can handle,” he walked into the bedroom and tossed her onto the bed. In a flash, he whipped the towel off and tossed it across the floor. Before she could blink, he was crawling up her body, his tongue not missing an inch.

She closed her eyes and enjoyed his touch as he threw her legs into the air and caught her ankles with his shoulders. “Ah,” she bit her lip as he worked on her inner thigh.

“You like that?” he asked before moving in to taste her hot core.

“Oh!” she yelped as her hips came up to meet him. “Fuck yeah.”

He teased her with his tongue, switching from gentle licks to firm thrusts as her body wiggled under him. Her moans grew louder as she began pulling on his hair, a signal to him that she was very close, so he placed both hands on her hips and dug in his fingers.

“Oh God!” she nearly screamed as she thrashed wildly.

“That’s it, aegi,” he quickly joined her, pushing his way deep inside her even before her orgasm subsided.

“Oh!” she moaned right away, gripping his hips with her thighs.

“That’s what you get for calling me an old man,” he growled in her ear as he pounded into her.

“Ugh!” she squealed as another orgasm ripped through her body.

He smiled, thoroughly pleased with himself, before slowing down to let her catch her breath.

“Mmm,” she pushed up on his shoulders. “I will never call you that again.”

“That doesn’t mean you get off from being punished,” he leaned down to suck her ear into his mouth.

She dug her fingers into his sides and smiled, looking forward to what he had in store for her.

As they lay quietly in one another’s arms that night, he let out a sigh. She looked up at him in the dark and waited.

“Who is your favorite Kpop group?”

“Big Bang.”

“Seriously?”

“Ne.”

He nodded silently. “Favorite rapper?”

“Kwon Ji-yong.”

“I am offended.”

She giggled into the side of his neck. “I’ve known him longer than I’ve known you.”

“You know G Dragon?”

“I met him at Kcon and helped translate on the set of ‘Loser’ the second semester of my freshman year. JiYong-oppa came back to LA in 2017 to shoot ‘Bullshit’ and I showed him around. We ended up writing a song together. We talk occasionally... send texts on our birthdays... “

“Wow.”

“Are you jealous?”

“A little.”

“I am not interested in him that way.”

“In what way?”

“Like this,” she ran her tongue up his neck to his ear.

“So your tongue has never touched a member of Big Bang?”

“Nope.”

“I’m less jealous,” he smiled.

“Good,” she kissed him.

“Who are you… interested in… like that?”

She raised her eyebrows and sighed. “Why is that your business?”

“I just…”

She sat up and looked across the room.

“You know you can’t date two of us from one group.”

She quietly looked down at him. “What are you talking about?”

“I know you and Jimin are talking.”

“I didn’t realize that inviting you into my bed meant gaining your approval of my friends list,” she snipped.

He clamped his mouth shut as she reached for her towel and walked to the bathroom. When she returned, he was sitting up in bed, reading his phone. “I need to go. NamJoon-ie’s having a bad night and needs to talk.”

She smirked at him and nodded.

“It’s not like that,” he reached for her. “I didn’t come over just for… this.”

“It might be better if you did.”

He grabbed her hand and pulled her down for a kiss. “I’m sorry. I know you and Jimin are… getting close. You’re the same age, it makes sense.”

“I’m going back to work. Take care of your leader,” she kissed him quickly before walking off to her closet.

Her aloof attitude threw him for a curve as he stared at her. He watched her dress and walk out before shaking his head and doing the same.

#

MinYeon checked her phone one last time, making completely sure she was at the right apartment before knocking on the door. ChanYeol opened up quickly, his infectiously bright smile stretching from ear to ear as he grabbed her hand and yanked her inside.

“Whose place is this?” she giggled.

“My older sister’s,” he pulled her in for a kiss. “She’s at her boyfriend’s tonight. I missed you.”

“How could you miss me, you texted me every day.”

“But I couldn’t do this,” he picked her up and carried her into the bedroom where he tossed her onto the bed.

“I thought we were on a date?” she climbed to her knees.

“I took one look at you and couldn’t control myself,” he pulled his shirt over his head.

One look at his amazing body and she was toast. He wasn’t YoonGi, and that was great. He didn’t have to be—but he also wasn’t Jimin. It was a great relief to keep her brain occupied so she could stop obsessing over the one man who had ever given butterflies in her belly and made her knees grow week at his mere presence.

He again crushed his soft lips against hers. She moaned while sliding her hands around his shoulders and pulled him closer as they fell back onto the thick blanket. His response was to slip his tongue between her full, pink lips and search out her sweet mouth.

She opened her eyes briefly to see him staring back at her before brushing her tongue against his. It was then that she felt his throbbing bulge pressing into her lower belly.

He slid his hands up her thighs, pushing her dress up as he went. She replied by unfastening his belt and slacks. She closed her eyes and tilted her head up to give him easier access as she pushed her hips into his. That was all the encouragement he needed before he slid on a condom and pushed his way inside her.

He pushed up onto his hands to hover over her, taking in the sight of her dark hair splayed around her head, her soft white skin reflecting the light of the living room, and her brown eyes sparking up into his. He knew she wasn’t serious about their relationship, that they could stop seeing one another at any moment. The truth was, he didn’t care. He just really liked spending time with her, and the sex was amazing.

She brought her knees up as her fingers brushed up his back, slowly, and up to his shoulders. He growled deeply as he began to move, sliding against her as she closed her eyes and gasped in pleasure. Pushing up to his knees, he pulled her up with him and leaned back, opening her hips wide to deepen his penetration.

In no time at all, she was pulling at his hair, pulsating around him as her orgasm slammed through her body.

He pulled her bottom lip into his mouth as he fell back with her atop and pushed up into her hips while pulling them toward him with his hands.

She placed her right hand on his chest and her left over his right as she pumped her legs, rising and falling onto him. Again, her body exploded into orgasmic bliss as she threw her head back to catch her breath.

In a flash, he pushed up and turned her around, pressing his hips into the back of hers as she pressed her back into his belly. “This is new,” she giggled.

“I like it,” he pulled her hair over her shoulder and kissed it while pressing his rock hard erection into her from behind. He wouldn’t allow her to fall onto her hands, he kept his arms securely around her as he thrust as deeply as he could into her.

As he felt his release nearing, he slipped his right hand down between her thighs and moved his fingers over the most sensitive spot on her body. She reached up to grab his hair as her breathing increased.

They both yelled out their final release before dropping to their sides onto the bed. The pleasure she felt was quickly washed away by a wave of guilt as the face of YoonGi crossed her mind. She clamped her eyes shut, willing it away as ChanYeol kissed her shoulder.

“Oh, I found your See’s Candy.”

“Thank you,” she ran her fingertips up his arm, feeling the thick muscles and tendons under his skin. She stopped at a tattoo and made circles over it. He smiled as he explained the meanings of each of the three tattoos on his right arm for her.

“I noticed this one,” he ran his fingers over the back of her right shoulder. “It almost looks like beauty marks; it’s very well hidden.”

“It’s the Libra constellation,” she looked up at him.

“You chose Western astrology over Eastern?”

“It’s cool that you have a monkey tattoo, but I would die before putting a pig on my skin.”

He laughed at her, enjoying their playful banter immensely. “You might have a point.”

She turned onto her back and looked up at him. “So… how was the inquisition?”

“It wasn’t too bad. The maknaes backed me up, telling them that they had been spending time with you too. I just kept repeating that I had been gone for a month. That seemed to appease them, except for hyung,” he sighed.

“What did he have to say?”

“He’s been protecting you from this world for ten years and now you’re jumping right into it. A lot can happen. This life is crazy.”

“I know,” she sighed. “Unfortunately, the choices I’ve been making lately are dropping me right into the spotlight.”

He watched her face, taking in her expression before speaking again. “You’re dating him too, aren’t you?”

She raised her eyebrows and looked up at him. “Him?”

He raised his eyebrows and waited. “I’m not stupid.”

“I never said you were. I don’t like false implications.”

“Touché,” he nodded. “Suga.”

She popped into a smile at the mention of his name. “Unlike you, he actually does take me on dates occasionally.”

“That’s not a good idea,” he warned her. “If you get caught…”

“I know that. We’re careful, for the most part. We usually don’t go out until late, and it’s at a park or something. The few times we’ve gone to eat he chose a private dining room. When he comes to campus, he wears hats and dresses like a student,” she smirked.

“You’ve spent a lot of time with him while I was gone.”

“I suppose. You were both in LA at the same time…”

“So he’s my competition?”

“What?” she blurted out. “No. There’s no competition. You’re gone a lot, he’s gone a lot… I’m starting classes soon and will have no social life…”

“Nah. You’ll meet a lot of new people and start going out to the clubs,” he smiled at her. “Everyone loves you.”

“Everyone?” she laughed.

“Except Kpop fans,” he teased her.

“Yeah,” she rolled her eyes and sighed.

#

MYG_93: *sends photo of his dog* Meet Min Holly

Minion_95: Sh is adorable.

MYG_93: Are you busy?

Minion_95: Yes. Recording today. Spend time with your parents.

MYG_93: What about tonight?

Minion_95: Plans.

He growled as he stared at his phone. Letting out a deep breath, he called the eldest member of his group.

“Yeoboseyo?” SeokJin answered.

“Hyung.”

“YoonGi-ya? Is everything all right?”

“I have a question for you.”

“Ask away.”

“Did you get jealous... when Hannah-noona dated other guys?”

“Ahhh...” he paused for a moment. “My situation was different.”

“You told us in 2014 that she was your future wife,” he sniggered.

“I chased her for three years.”

“She had two boyfriends in that time.”

“She was in denial and trying to push me away. She was afraid of her feelings. We’ve been together almost two years now.”

“Okay, but were you jealous?”

“Hell yes. Especially when she committed to Lex while we were in Europe. We weren’t together though, so there wasn’t much I could do about it,” he sighed. “You’ve only known MinYeon a month.”

“Yes. I’m ridiculous. I miss her when I don’t see her... and I text her like an idiot... and I feel intense feelings when I’m with her... I’m going crazy.”

“And her?”

“She’s seeing other men and gets angry when I complain about it.”

“Do you know who it is?”

“I’m fairly sure it’s ChanYeol... and possibly Jimin.”

“Wae?”

He let out a deep sigh.

“You can do two things. Cut ties and save your sanity or stick around until she comes to terms with her feelings for you… if she does.”

“What if I wait and she picks someone else?”

“Do you honestly think SM, EXO, or Xiumin would let her date an EXO?”

“Probably not.”

“So, that leaves…”

“They’re perfect for each other.”

“They’re a lot alike. That may not be a good thing.”

“True. Maybe I’ll just sit back and wait for them to implode.”

“I will warn you, when Hannah finally admitted her feelings and we were official, it felt like we had crossed the finish line... but then we started running again. When one phase ends, another begins. There is no normal for us.”

He smiled. “Thanks, hyung.”

#

Jimin grinned brightly as he met up with his friends at a small pub known for its laid-back atmosphere and college-aged who didn’t bother the occasional celebrity.

“Hello,” he quickly hugged EXO’s Kai and SHINee’s Taemin before sitting across from them at the table. “Thanks for the invite. I’m happy I actually had a day off to accept.”

“What’s up?” JongIn asked him as a study group passed him on the way to a larger table in the corner.

“Preparing for comeback. Photo shoots and videos. You?”

“We’ve been split up for a while. The actors are doing their thing, the models are busy, shooting shows, side projects, CBX is busy…”

“Yeah, MinYeon-ah has mentioned that. They’re on tour, I think.”

“Who?” Taemin looked between them.

“MinSeon-ie-hyung’s younger sister is back,” JongIn smiled. “He’s having to beat the guys off with a stick,” he chuckled.

“She likes the attention, don’t let her fool you,” Jimin smirked as he glanced up at the door to see the exact person he was speaking about. She had on a very light pink knit top that hung off her shoulders and tight light-colored denim shorts, decked out in Chanel accessories and a pair of Vans. Her hair hung naturally down her back and she had on very light makeup while toting a Chanel bag over her shoulder. She smiled and waved to the large group in the corner as his eyes devoured her every move.

She felt his eyes on her and immediately turned to see him as a smug smile crept to her face. She then saw her brother’s member and switched immediately to little sister mode. Flirting would have to wait.

“Oppa,” she grinned and waved.

“We were just talking about you!” JongIn laughed as he rose to hug her.

“Ah… good or bad?” she turned to Jimin.

“Both,” he purred.

“Awesome,” she turned to Taemin. “Kim MinYeon ibnida,” she bowed to him.

Jimin was taken aback. He knew the MinYeon who was dating his hyung, and the Mina Kim on YouTube. This was the first time he had witnessed the EXO little sister and her impeccable manners. It was amusing to watch.

“I’m meeting my peer group to discuss our summer assignments,” she nodded toward the back corner.

“All work and no play?” Taemin asked.

“I didn’t say that,” she grinned. “If you’re still here when we finish, I’ll sit in for a drink,” she nodded before waving and walking off to join her star-struck classmates.

“She is gorgeous,” Taemin whispered.

“Right?” Jimin raised his eyebrows. “It’s painful.”

“Is it?” JongIn watched him. “She talks about you too, you know.”

“Does she?” he smirked before taking a drink.

“Are you the same age?” Taemin looked between them.

“They are… her birthday’s in the autumn, I think.”

“The best time of year,” Jimin laughed.

MinYeon pulled her MacBook out of her bag and set up as drinks were passed around the table. Occasionally, Jimin would glance over to see her responding to a question and could hardly contain his laughter at her facial expressions. You could tell exactly what she was thinking based on her expressions, and he was extremely amused by them all.

Even though he wasn’t exactly there with her, he was happy to even be in the same room. There was something about her that calmed him and made him feel warm.

The entire back table wrapped up their meeting with a few party drinks, with MinYeon chugging hers down like a champion and earning high-fives from the men before they broke up for the night. She gathered her things and returned to the table the idols occupied.

“Sorry, that took longer than expected. I need to get home and finish an OST.”

“It’s past midnight,” Taemin laughed at her.

“I still have a date tonight, too,” she giggled as she checked the time on her silver Chanel watched, lined in pink crystals.

“I’ll take you home,” JongIn smirked at her. “I doubt any of that will get done with the amount I just saw you drink.”

“Are you kidding? I went to college in LA. That was the warm-up,” she grinned.

“Still… your brother would kick my ass if I didn’t make sure you got home from a bar,” he threw some money on the table.

Jimin watched her for a moment. YoonGi was on his way back from visiting his parents in Daegu, so that meant she was seeing someone else. He perked up at the thought that he might still have a chance…

“See you later,” JongIn nodded.

“It was nice meeting you,” MinYeon bowed to Taemin and turned to Jimin. “Later, chingu.”

“Later,” he winked at her before downing the rest of his drink.

#

MinYeon finished off her coffee just before clicking her mouse to send the song she had finished to the ‘About Time’ music producers. She sat back and rubbed her face before glancing at the time. It was 3:00 AM. She was wide awake. She had promised Chan-Yeol to text him when she finished.

Minion_95: I am finished.

She smirked, not expecting a reply. As she turned out the lights and closed the door to her studio, there was a response.

LOEY: Sweet. Feel like a run?

Minion_95: Where?

LOEY: Meet me at Riverside Park.

Minion_95: It will take me 10 minutes to get there. I need to call an Uber.

LOEY: I’ll have a red ball cap on.

Minion_95: I’ll have a UCLA t-shirt on.

They met up at the park and began a leisurely pace as they filled one another in on their days. When they arrived in a secluded, quiet area of the park, he pulled her into his arms and kissed her.

She giggled as they fell to the grass.

“How is this for a date?”

“Fun,” she looked around. “Quiet.”

“Yeah,” he looked around. “I like it here.”

“You’ve been here before?”

“Maybe?”

She covered her mouth as she giggled. “If EXO-L only knew!”

“They can’t know,” he kissed her. “I’m their sweet monkey Chanyeol.”

“You’re a player,” she whispered against his lips.

He smiled before pushing her back onto the soft grass. “What about you? Do you want to play with me?”

“Here?”

He reached into his pocket and retrieved a condom which he presented to her.

“What if...”

“We’ll be fine if you can be quiet.”

“That’s not nice.”

He grinned at her. “Then we’ll just have to be fast.”

Her eyes widened as he kissed her.

#

MinYeon sat around a table in the music department at SNU and listened to various songs while making notes. As they took a break to refill their drinks, one of her classmates spoke to her.

“MinYeon-ssi. Are you from Seoul?” Seo-Yeun asked her.

“No, I was born in Maseok and grew up in Guri. My parents still live there.”

“Ah,” she nodded. “Where did you get your bachelor’s degree?”

“UCLA,” she smiled.

“Woah. Really? You lived in America?”

“Yes,” she laughed. “My brother is in the music industry here and I wanted to separate myself from him a little.”

“Oh? Is that why you knew those idols the other night? What does he do?”

“He sings… and dances… and acts…” she mumbled.

“You make it sound like he’s an idol,” DaEun joined the conversation.

“Yeah,” she laughed before taking a drink of her coffee.

“You are so pretty. Do you have a boyfriend?” HaEun asked.

“What? I only moved back a month ago!”

“Surely there’s a nice-looking man you’d like to date,” MinJae asked, mainly for his own personal information.

“Looks aren’t everything,” she shook her head.

“Sure they are! You can become friends later, pick a guy out for looks!” HaEun, the oldest of the group at 30 years of age laughed.

“Wow,” she hummed. “I forgot how dating worked here.”

“I have a friend who is way out of my league, but you’re so pretty he’d probably go out with you…” SeoYeun offered.

“No thank you. I’m good.”

“Aren’t you lonely?” the youngest, twenty-two-year-old YeJoon asked.

“I’m too busy to be lonely,” she grinned.

“You really do look like EXO’s Xiumin…”

Everyone quieted as they all turned to stare at her. She smiled and sipped her coffee before returning to her laptop.

“Woah…”

“You are so lucky!”

“Why? My Oppa’s always busy, usually gone, and completely overbearing.”

“He’s an IDOL! You could totally date one of his friends!”

“He would never allow it,” she laughed.

“Have you met ChanYeol? He is gorgeous!”

“I’ve stayed at the dorm. I’ve met all of them.”

“I so need to take a look at your Insta!”

“I have to be careful what I post on my public Insta. I have a lot of Idol friends and connections in the business.”

“And private?” HyeonWoo grabbed his phone and went straight to his Insta app. “Can I follow you?”

“Sure,” she smirked. She knew better than to give out her secret account.

“Do you know Idols other than EXO?” DaEun asked.

“Yes.”

“Who?”

“Are we going to work at all?” she became flustered.

“As pretty as you are, I think if you had your eyes done you could date an Idol,” MinJae smiled at her.

“Really? I’ll think about it,” she growled.

By the time YoonGi came over that night, she was completely beside herself.

“Shoot me. Just shoot me,” she whined as he handed her a glass of soju.

“Did you tell them you couldn’t get your eyes done because you made a promise to Min Suga?”

She shot her eyes at him. “I’m sure that would have gone smoothly.”

“If it makes you feel any better, Kim HeeChul tried to set me up with BlackPink’s Lisa today.”

“Oh?” she smiled. “And?”

“Do you have any idea how difficult it is for two Idols to date?”

“We’ve managed to keep this a secret for a month and a half.”

“I’ve had to backtrack several times to get fans off my ass. I’ve worked really hard to keep this secret.”

She raised her eyebrows. “Me going to your dorm probably isn’t wise then.”

“They can’t get past security to see where you’re going. The dorm is probably the safest place for us to be.”

“Ah,” she sighed and changed the subject. “How pissed do you think Oppa would be if I withdrew before my classes even started?” she changed the subject.

“You’re not my sister and I’d be pissed.”

“You’d be pissed at m

me?” she asked playfully.

“Your education is important.”

“And my happiness is not important?”

“I just walked into a trap, didn’t I?”

She laughed evilly before downing the rest of her drink.

“Come here,” he pulled her into his lap. “I’ll keep you happy while you’re in school.”

“In what way?”

“In this way,” he leaned in to kiss her neck.

“Mmm,” she ran her fingers through his hair as his phone buzzed in his pocket.

“Aish,” he sighed before answering the call. “Yeobosayo? Yes. Yes. Okay. I’ll be there in a bit.”

She raised her eyebrows.

“I need to rerecord my rap because they changed the timing on a song we’re working on for Festa.”

“Damn,” she sighed.

“Ddaeng,” he corrected her. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be,” she kissed him. “Work comes first.”

“With Festa coming up, I’m not going to be able to see you again until probably July.”

“I understand,” she assured him. “Classes are starting next week anyway, and my cousin is coming to take an electronics class, so I’m babysitting.”

He nodded silently. She could tell he didn’t want to leave. She could also tell that there seemed to be something that he wanted to say—something she was really not ready to hear.

“Go to work, Suga,” she pulled away and walked to the kitchen.

He rubbed his face before standing up to follow her. “You’re being a good Designated Driver tonight.”

“Someone has to.”

He smiled before kissing her. “I’ll call you later.”

“Okay.”

He nodded before walking out the door.

She sighed before pouring a fresh glass as her eyes crawled around the walls. She bit her lip and smiled evilly before sneaking into a chat room he had set up for them.

Minion_95: Are all summer nights this devastatingly boring in Seoul?

She giggled to herself as she saw that he had read the message.

Lucky13: I thought you worked in the music industry? We’re just getting started.

Minion_95: I met with my class today.

Lucky13: You poor thing.

Minion_95: Exactly.

Lucky13: Let me make a few phone calls. You should probably get dressed.

Minion_95: College student or co-worker chic?

Lucky13: How about EXO Princess?

She stared at the phone for a moment.

Minion_95: That’s hot.

#

Jimin stepped out of the car he rented for the night and glanced around at the street before straightening his shirt and sleeves. He ran his fingers through his dark hair and nodded to the driver before walking into the building and looking around. As he approached the elevator, he entered in the code she had given him and waited.

“Hi,” she smiled before pulling back to let him in.

“Hi,” he looked her over in her beautiful blue Chanel minidress and smiled. “Wow, that looks like it was made just for you,” he gushed over her.

“It was my present for moving out of the EXO dorm,” she giggled as he followed her in.

“This is nice,” he looked around before tilting his head at the white sofa and surround sound. “That doesn’t seem like your style though…”

“It’s your hyung’s,” she raised her eyebrows and sighed.

“Really?” he asked slowly. “How close are you?”

“Aish,” she cursed while shaking her head. “We agreed that we wouldn’t be serious, and he bought me furniture,” she crossed her arms. “He’s driving me crazy.”

He sucked his lip into his mouth as he watched her. “Are you seeing someone else?”

“Yes,” she spoke quickly.

“Ah. Got it,” he laughed.

“That’s the plant you sent me,” she pointed to the window.

“It’s big,” he grinned.

“Thank you,” she nodded. “I really like it.”

“Good,” he enjoyed seeing her smile. “So… I’m going to introduce you to a few more 95-Liners tonight. They’ll like you. Everyone likes you.”

“It’s a curse,” she teased him as he flirted with her.

“Right? TaeHyung-ie couldn’t come, he already had plans. He will come next time.”

“Okay,” she reached for her $5,000 blue Chanel handbag and glanced around one last time. “I’m ready.”

He took a moment before looking her over. “You are… beautiful. You pay attention to every detail, don’t you?”

“I try,” she looked him over, noticing his crisp, white, perfectly pressed oxford and Armani slacks before looking up into his eyes. “Are you… Libra too?”

“Really?” he laughed.

“Libra!” they giggled together before wrapping their arms around one another.

“I have a new sister,” he kissed her cheek.

“Yes. This is good.”

“Very good,” he took her hand and led her out the door.

They slid into to the car and sat together as they rode to the next pickup.

“How are you getting adjusted to being back home?”

“I love working so much. I hate working so much. It’s a constant balance.”

“True.”

“There are some things that I miss, like just being… free. It’s the first time I’ve been open about having an idol as a brother too, so it’s different for everyone. My parents are very nervous, so they call many times each day, and I speak to Oppa a lot anyway…”

“I’m glad you’re close.”

“I live two minutes away from SM,” she laughed. “He can see me whenever he wants.”

“Again… that’s good. Living alone has to be exhausting.”

“And living with six other men isn’t?”

“I can’t live alone. You would find me shriveled up in a corner.”

She threw her head back in laughter as he grinned at her.

“I like your smile.”

“I like yours too,” she looked him over as her eyes fell to the many silver rings on his fingers. “YoonGi-ya asked me a few weeks ago if I like you.”

“Why would he do that?”

“I thought you would know.”

He shrugged his shoulders. “We’re the same age… and he tells me a lot that we act alike.”

“Same,” she agreed.

“Maybe we’re soulmates?”

Her breath caught in her throat as she grinned at him.

The car stopped and the door opened, letting on one by one as they made introductions to their newest member: Joshua and JeongHan from Seventeen, Hwasa from Mamamoo, and NaYeon from Twice. They were extremely excited to meet the elusive “Xiumin’s Yeodongsaeng” and even more so to find out that she was their age.

Their first stop was a walk-through to a club that supplied them all with expensive cocktails as they looked around and nodded at the locals.

“Oh my God, she’s amazingly gorgeous,” JeongHan spoke to Jimin.

“I’m aware,” he grinned over his glass. “She’s also fucking my hyung,” he growled.

“Which one?” Joshua frowned.

“That would be a secret,” he smirked. “She’s also a fellow Libra.”

“I’m in heaven,” he grinned.

“I hate you guys,” Joshua shook his head.

“Someone caught Jimin’s eye,” Hwasa purred at MinYeon.

“We’re friends,” she chirped at her.

“That’s so cute,” NaYeon giggled at her.

“So are you,” she laughed.

“I really like you,” Hwasa looked across the table. “Nice choice.”

“I know,” he flashed his pearly grin at her.

“There are two constants in this world,” NaYeon informed MinYeon. “The sun rises and sets every single day.”

“And the second?”

“Jimin gets more ass than a park bench,” Hwasa burst out as all three women cackled.

“You have the cutest, squishiest cheeks I’ve ever seen,” JeongHan watched MinYeon. “You are now my Squishy.”

“Yes!” Joshua agreed as the men toasted her. “Bbang-Tteok!”

“To Squishy!” they tipped their heads back.

“We have so many other people to introduce her to!” Hwasa called out to them.

“We do,” NaYeon agreed as she felt a tug at her hand. She turned around to see a businessman grinning down at her.

“Hello there, beautiful.”

“Hello,” she immediately went into idol mode and bowed to him shyly.

“Do you think we could go somewhere to get to know one another better?”

MinYeon raised her eyebrows as Joshua stepped in.

“Excuse me, we’re leaving,” he rested his hand across her back and escorted her out. In fact, all three men felt the need to protect the women and lead them out as they headed to the next club.

“I’ll text the manager and tell him he needs to vet the VIP section better,” JeongHan complained.

“Are you okay?” Jimin took MinYeon’s hand.

“I’m fine, why?”

“The look on your face when she lowered her voice…”

“I will never get used to seeing women subservient,” she shook her head.

“I hope you never do,” he agreed.

By the time they made it to the next club, security was a bit higher and the questions more personal.

“How many of us do you know?” Hwasa asked her.

“Us?” she quipped.

“Idols,” JeongHan watched her. “It’s a valid question.”

“Define… know,” she squinted at him over her glass.

“EXO,” Jimin counted, “Bangtan, ACE…”

“I worked with ACE, does that count?” she asked.

“Yes.”

“Oh,” she grinned. “Wow, then… BigBang…”

“Wait, WHAT?!” Hwasa stopped her.

“I’m close with two members,” she looked away. “Zico, Jessi, CL…”

“You’re a hiphop girl?” Joshua nodded drunkenly.

“I am,” she hummed.

“Interesting,” NaYeon licked her lips after finishing off another drink.

“Have I passed the test yet?” she huffed.

“Nope!” they answered back with laughter.

A group of men walked past them as a few stopped and looked down at MinYeon.

“Wooooo! Look at you, pretty thang!” they spoke in English.

She raised her eyebrows and glanced at their Korean companions.

“Sorry,” they whispered to her.

“I want one of these! Where do I get one of these?!”

“Excuse me!” Jimin pushed him back. “Please don’t be rude!”

“It’s okay,” MinYeon grabbed his hand. “I’m okay,” she whispered.

He glanced down at her as once again the men felt the need to protect the women and find another place.

“Believe it or not, I can take care of myself,” she whispered to him as they walked out the door.

“Your point?” he snipped at her.

Her eyes widened as they were stopped in an alley by the same men.

“So many pretty girls,” they glanced over the men. “All of them.”

“I’m tired of this shit,” MinYeon sighed.

“Let’s just go,” Hwasa grabbed her hand.

“You are all idols. I’m not,” she hissed.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Joshua asked her.

She turned around and looked up at the man who had looked her over in the club.

“What’s a kitty cat like you doing with those girly boys?”

She let out a quick breath before thrusting her hand up into his nose. In seconds, he was in the fetal position on the ground in front of him. “Who is next?” she asked in English as the men took off running.

“That was amazing!” Jimin clapped his hands together.

“You can protect my body any time!” JeongHan wrapped his arms around her as they walked off to the next bar.

Jimin staggered back into her apartment behind her and dropped onto the sofa. He let out a sigh and glanced at his phone to see that TaeHyung had texted him. He typed something in return as he heard the clanging of pans and turned to see that she was heating up the stove. “You’re cooking?”

“I need something greasy,” she slurred while peeling a potato. She then pulled a few things out of the refrigerator.

“Should you really be using a sharp knife right now?” he quipped.

“You can’t have gamjajeon without sauce,” she huffed.

“True,” he glanced at her ingredients. “Where’s the green onion and gochugaru?”

“When I first moved to LA, I didn’t know where the Asian market was and had to figure out ways to make things differently. Now when I miss it, I can make this and it reminds me…” she chopped up an onion and jalapeno and added it to soy sauce and vinegar. He sprinkled it with sesame seeds and smiled as she stirred it.

“You like spicy food?”

“I love spicy food,” she lifted the spoon for him.

“Woah!” he coughed. “Nice.”

She grated the potato and the rest of the onion before adding salt and potato starch. After mixing it well, she added it to a hot pan of oil and made a large pancake.

“I need to learn to cook more than mandu and ramen.”

“Yes, you do,” she giggled. “My parents were both teachers, so I cooked and Oppa cleaned. When my parents got tired of something I made, Obahan would teach me something new. And then Oppa became a trainee,” she looked away.

“Obahan? Is your halmeoni Japanese?”

“Both of her parents were Korean, but she was raised in Osaka. She taught me Osaka ben after MinSeok-ie left.”

He watched her face as she let the sadness of her memories affect her for only a moment before returning her attention to the pan. He knew all too well how to hide his true feelings and place a mask on for others, he did it every day. Until that moment, he didn’t realize that others did it as well. “You don’t like idols,” he read her.

“I don’t like the concept. I think it’s ludicrous to submit yourself to torture for the benefit of others,” she answered honestly.

“Yet… you’re in the music business.”

“I make music because all of this… shit is in my head. If I don’t get it out and do something with it, I do stupid things.”

He absently pushed her hair over her shoulder as he watched her. “I can’t imagine what it’s like to remember absolutely everything.”

“It’s not like that. My mother and brother have similar things, but I had psychological testing when I was younger. I have an eidetic memory and two forms of synesthesia. They’re supposed to be syndromes or defects, but it’s all I’ve ever known.”

“So… how does it work?”

“I can vividly remember what I see, but I catalog when I see it, where I was, and where it is in relation to other memories I have. So I have this… filing system in my head. Sometimes it gets overwhelmingly full and I will subconsciously flush something out. So… I keep a journal on my computer and am able to search for key words. Of course, I have to go through the filing system to find the key words,” she shook her head. “I probably sound crazy.”

“No,” he smiled at her. “It’s fascinating.”

“If my what I see has an aural or sound element, I will remember how those sounds feel and it enhances the memory. There are some things I remember and it will feel like it happened two minutes ago.”

“That probably includes bad things.”

“It’s not all bad,” she smiled for him. “Like… remembering the exact moment I met you,” she looked up at him and locked her eyes with his. “Your voice is deeper than it was then, and you’ve lost your tan. You don’t wear as much eyeliner as you did, but you still line your eyes. You’re much thinner than you were, but still quite toned. You still have the same smile,” she momentarily lost herself in his eyes for a moment as she remembered everything about the day she met him. “It makes me feel like I’ve known you for much longer than the past few weeks.”

He wanted to kiss her so badly his body ached, but his buzzing phone caught his attention. “TaeHyung-ie’s coming to get me. He doesn’t seem to trust me with you… alone.”

“That’s probably wise,” she smiled before grabbing the handle of the pan and shaking it around a few times. She then tossed the pan, flipping the pancake perfectly as he burst into laughter.

“That was perfect!”

They gathered the food and walked over to the table, sitting across from one another.

“JeongHan really likes you,” he spoke before stuffing his face.

She smiled as she stared at the pancake. “Liking me is easy. Being my friend is not.”

He tilted his head as he watched her. “Why would being your friend be difficult?”

She shrugged her shoulders. “I’m not like other people,” she looked away. “Yoongi-ya is beginning to find that out and I’m not sure he likes it.”

He chewed slowly as he watched her. “Is it because you won’t commit to only him?”

She nodded her head silently. “The thought of being in love is great, but that’s all it is. It’s a thought. What’s the point in locking yourself down to one person? It’s just a waste of time.”

“You’ve never been in love?”

“I fall in love every day,” she burst into giggles as he laughed at her.

“You want to keep your options open. I can respect that.”

“I mean… what if I walk into a building tomorrow and find the love of my life? I should be available for that moment, right?”

“You’re crazy,” he watched her.

“If you can’t be with the one you love, love the one you’re with,” she raised her glass to him.

He smirked at her before raising his glass and nodding.

#

MinYeon awoke to the ringing phone. She looked at the number before rolling her eyes. “Oppa! It’s too early!”

“Then you haven’t seen the charts!”

“What charts?”

“The top five albums this morning are SHINee, WannaOne, Bangtan, A.C.E., and ONF!”

“What?!” she sat straight up in bed.

“You can now add ‘Chart Topping Producer’ to your resume! We need to celebrate!”

“We do!”

“I’m taking you to Jeju! Meet us at the airport at noon!”

“Us?”

“Chan-Yeol, DO, and Se-Hun want to come too.”

“Okay. I’ll pack and bag and meet you there.”

She immediately texted Yoon-Gi.

Minion_95: It looks like you’ve got a bit of competition.

Minion_95: *Inserts screen shot of the weekly charts*

MYG_93: Congratulations. I’m glad the rest of Korea knows what we’ve known all along. You’re a kick-ass slaysian.

Minion_95: I need that on a t-shirt.

MYG_93: You should know better than to say those things to me.

Minion_95: I should. I need to go though. Oppa’s taking me to Jeju to celebrate.

MYG_93: Have fun and send pics of you in that black bikini. It’s in your top right drawer.

Minion_95: You’re at my place too much.

MYG_93: Someone has to do your laundry. By the way, what the hell happened to Jimin? He hasn’t come home wasted this bad in a long time.

Minion_95: Gotta go! Later!

MYG_93: Bye aegi-ya!

Her eyes widened at his use of “baby.” ChanYeol called her ‘honey’ as a joke, and to get a rise out of her. YoonGi called her that because… she stared off at the floor, lost in thought. Was that what she wanted? Did she want YoonGi, or did she want something more—from someone else?

It took her much longer to pack than it usually did, due to the fact that she kept rolling around ideas and what-ifs in her head the whole time. “I can’t do this,” she whispered. “I can’t do this,” she shook her head and put him out of her mind. “Damn it. I can’t do this.”

She stepped out of the taxi at the airport and immediately heard screams as a black van arrived. She smirked without looking up as the driver helped her with her suitcase. She thanked him and turned to see four men with hats, sunglasses, and masks over their faces.

“Incognito doesn’t seem to be working for you,” she smirked.

“It never does,” ChanYeol grabbed her bag as they walked into the airport together.

“Are you ready for this?” MinSeok took her hand. “You’ll be all over the internet very quickly.”

“The hidden sister will be out forever,” SeHun agreed.

“It’ll happen sooner or later if I’m producing award-winning albums.”

The four men nodded just before taking off into the airport.

The screaming was unreal. The flashes were blinding. The grabbing and pushing was unexpected. From the moment they stepped through the doors, up to the ticket counter, and even going through security, the four were photographed and videoed more than she had ever been in her life.

“Are you okay?” KyungSoo checked on her.

“I’ll be fine,” she smiled for him. “Thank you,” she felt comfortable knowing that most, if not all of her brother’s members treated her like their own little sister.

“Xiumin! Is that your girlfriend?!” a fan screamed at them.

The siblings immediately turned to one another and made faces of disgust, which caused the other three to laugh.

“Who is she?!” another fan screamed.

“She’s too pretty to be an employee! Who is she?!”

“Wow,” MinYeon stepped through security and retrieved her bag.

As the five walked off toward the gate, MinYeon received a text from Mackelli. Their song “Tears Flow” that she wrote, created, and produced for _About Time_ had entered the Korean Top 100 at 82.

“Oh my God,” she stopped walking. “I have a charting single as well.”

MinSeok grinned proudly as he gave her a tight, loving hug. “I’m so proud of you, Yeonnie. I’m very happy to see you doing what you love, before the world knows you’re my sister.”

“Me too,” she rested her forehead against his shoulder.

“Come on,” ChanYeol glanced around. “They’re getting too close.”

The siblings held hands as the five of them walked down to their gate.

Once they arrived on Jeju, the trip became a vlog.

“Annyong chingu! I’m currently in Jeju with my EXO oppas and we’re going to eat heuk dweji, the black pig. We’ve asked several people on the way here where we should go to get the best heuk dweji and they’ve said that around here they’re all pretty good.

“As with every good meal, it always tastes better after a strenuous workout, and since we are celebrating right now, we’re going to spend the day at the beach!”

Min-Seok didn’t exactly like the fact that his little sister was running around the beach in a tiny black bikini, and he liked it even less that she had SeHun take a photo for her, but he really hated the way ChanYeol was looking her down like a piece of meat. All was forgotten, however, as she shot footage for her vlog and made sure each of them received their appropriate screen time.

When they had enough of the sun, she changed batteries in her camera, and they set out for a restaurant with a beautiful view of the ocean. They sat around a table and drank as their food and side dishes began arriving.

“Okay, so there’s ogyupsal heuk dweji, and our banchan are bean sprouts, napa cabbage kimchi, raw garlic and ssamjang, we’re going to wrap our meat with the lettuce, raw onion with sauce, and cucumber kimchi. There are two types of seating, you can sit at a table or you can take your shoes off, plop down on a mat, and sit on the floor.

“Oh! And a friendly reminder… when going to Korean barbeque, do NOT wear your best clothes. You will leave smelling like your meal…”

KyungSoo burst out laughing as the men all agreed.

“Not date friendly,” ChanYeol spoke in English.

“Definitely not,” she agreed.

Once they were completely stuffed and filming had ended, they moved to a house they had rented that had a pool. They spent the rest of the day drinking and playing around in the water.

SeHun was the first to turn in, completely exhausted from a combination of his acting schedule and the day’s events. The second was KyungSoo, who staggered off to his room while humming to himself. Finally, MinSeok, the clean freak that he was, decided to shower even though they spent most of the day in water.

As soon as the bathroom door closed and locked, ChanYeol turned to MinYeon. “Congratulations, jagi-ya. I’m proud of you.”

“Thank you,” she smiled drunkenly as he grabbed her hand.

“I think we should celebrate,” he added lowly before pulling her off to the kitchen.

He picked her up and sat her on the bar, kissing her deeply as she wrapped her legs around him. He usually liked it when she made noises, but this time would have to be quick and quiet.

He untied the straps of her bikini and sucked on her skin as she ran her fingers up his sides, teasing him as her thighs squeezed his hips. He pulled the bottoms of her bikini aside as she pushed his damp swim trunks down his hips. He pulled her closer, wrapping his arm around her as he pushed his way inside her.

They both bit their lips, trying like hell to stay quiet but hurry at the same time. If Min-Seok caught them, he would not be happy. She threw her head back and closed her eyes as she ran her fingers through his shaggy brown hair, enjoying the feelings overtaking her entire body. He buried his face into the crook of her neck and let the smell of her natural perfume intermixed with sand and sea overwhelm his senses.

This wasn’t going to last long; it wasn’t meant to—yet the sexual tension growing between them for the entire day had brought them precisely to that moment.

She bit down harder on her lip as she tightened her legs around him. His hips pounded into hers repeatedly until her body burst into eloquent spasms, tightening around him and demanding his own release.

He grunted into her shoulder, their bodies calming as their lungs fought for breath. He kissed her neck, moving up to her chin and then finally returning to her lips.

He pulled back and ran his thumb across her bottom lip, smearing the blood that had appeared once she bit through from trying to keep quiet. He silently showed her his thumb before sticking it into his mouth.

She touched her mouth and looked at the blood on her fingers before licking her lip, trying to hide the evidence. He carefully held her as she returned to wobbly legs, adjusting their clothes and trying like hell to calm their breathing.

“Good night,” he kissed her.

“Good night,” she grinned.

ChanYeol walked to the room he and KyungSoo were sharing to find him on his side, his head propped up on his hand as he smiled at him. “I knew it,” he slurred.

“What?”

“You and MinYeon-ie...”

He raised his eyebrows as he sat onto his bed. “What are you talking about?”

“You tried like hell to be quiet,” he smirked. “You weren’t. It’s a good thing hyung’s in the shower.”

“Aish,” he looked away.

“How serious is it?”

“It’s not,” he answered plainly. “She’s dating Min YoonGi as well, maybe someone else… I don’t know.”

“I am so confused...”

“Nah,” he smiled. “She’s dating both of us. We both know. She just... she’s afraid of being in love, I think. I don’t think she’ll ever give her heart to a man until she finally… falls.”

“Wow. That’s insane!”

“Shhhh,” he chuckled.

He stared at him for a moment. “Are you sure she doesn’t love you?”

He shook his head. “We’re not in love. We just have fun.”

He plopped onto his back and sighed. “Right...”

Min-Seok returned to the room he and his sister were sharing to find that she was already in bed, sound asleep. He watched her for a moment with a smile on his face before slipping into his bed and doing the same.

#

“MinYeon-ssi isn’t hidden anymore,” NamJoon spoke as he read a news article on his phone.

He, YoonGi, and SeokJin sat in hair and makeup preparing for the 5th anniversary of their debut. They held a yearly party for the fans, ARMY, called Festa.

“It doesn’t help when she goes to the clubs with the 95-Liners,” YoonGi laughed.

“So she’s out? Will they make a statement?”

“I’m not sure. She’s still known as KMY in the music industry and Mina Kim on Youtube. As far as I’m concerned, I’m dating MinYeon and not KMY.”

“That’s ridiculous. You’re YoonGi and SUGA and AgustD. You’re all of those people and she is too,” SeokJin laughed.

“You two haven’t talked about it?” NamJoon looked confused.

He scrunched his nose and glared at him. “No.”

“So you two aren’t…” SeokJin began. They all looked up in the mirror to find their four dongsaengs close, pretending not to eavesdrop.

“It’s complicated,” he answered for all of them. “I don’t like that it’s complicated, but it is. And now that she’s no longer the hidden sister, it will be worse.”

“I’ll help if I can,” HoSeok spoke up. “I have an apartment my parents stay in when they’re in Seoul. You can use it to meet for a date or something.”

Jimin stared at YoonGi for a moment before turning to speak to his manager.

“I’m sure Hannah wouldn’t mind helping out too,” SeokJin smirked.

“Thanks,” he smiled as he received a notice that EXO Official had posted on Insta. He clicked on it to find a post with multiple pics, a caption that read “We are family.” He raised his eyebrows and prepared himself as the first photo was of Suho and his older brother. He swiped left to see Chen and his older brother. He swiped again to see Kai and his older sisters. It was followed by ChanYeol and his older sister, who was a news broadcaster in Seoul. He sped up, passing quickly over KyungSoo and his older brother, BaekHyun and his older brother, and Se-Hun and his older brother. Finally, there was Xiumin and MinYeon. It was official. The hidden sister was no more, and now the world knew who she was—though they were not aware of her alias KMY, or her given name to be honest.

He dialed his phone and placed his right earbud into his ear.

“Nng,” she grunted.

“I take it your trip was good?”

“Nng,” she grunted again. “Too much of a good thing.”

“Soju?”

“It’s all a blur. They were determined to kill me.”

He grinned as he listened to her. “EXO posted a pic of you and your brother. They didn’t announce your name yet.”

“That will happen after their performance at the Lotte Family Concert on the 23rd.”

“Ah. We’re performing on the 22nd.”

“I know. I’m heading there right after class.”

“Aww… you’re coming to see me?”

“Mmm hmm,” she yawned. “My head’s still spinning. I have no idea how I made the flight back.”

“Drink some water and go back to sleep. I need to finish getting ready.”

“Will it be on VLive?”

“Yes.”

“Okay,” she breathed heavily. “I can do this.”

“Yeonnie, go back to sleep. You can always watch it another time.”

“Okay,” she mumbled.

“Text me when you wake up.”

“Okay,” she repeated.

He smirked before closing his eyes and waiting for the stylist to finish his look.

Later that afternoon, MinYeon received a call from a number she didn’t recognize. She stared at it for a moment before answering. “Yeobosayo?”

“Noona…” she knew that voice anywhere.

“JeongGukkie,” she smiled. “How are you today?”

“I… You are so smart and you know a lot of things… and I don’t know who else to talk to.”

“That sounds serious,” she spoke slowly. “Where would you like to meet to talk?”

“I don’t know… nowhere around the hyungs.”

“Okay… meet me at the Achasan Metro station. Have your running shoes on.”

“Got it. Thanks,” he chuckled before ending the call.

She ran her fingers through her hair and let out a deep breath before changing into running gear and heading that way.

As soon as he saw her, he gave her that sweet boyish grin and waved. He may have been twenty-one years old, but he still possessed a very sweet, young boy charm that she adored about him.

“Are we running?” he looked around.

“No, we are warming up through the market,” she held her hand out to the mountain. “Then we’re running.”

“Daebak,” he grinned. “That’s a great idea.”

“So… talk,” she handed him a water bottle as he sped up their walk.

He rolled his eyes around for a moment. “I had a huge argument with Jimin-hyung. He’s angry because I won’t confide in him as a hyung.”

“Why not?”

“There are some things I feel like I need to work out on my own. How am I going to become a man if my hyungs solve all of my problems for me?”

She raised her eyes and smiled. “And that’s the life of the maknae,” she nodded in complete understanding. “I’m the youngest out of most of my friends. Even in the 95-Liners, there aren’t many born after me… except TaeTae.”

He burst into laughter to hear her call his older member such a cute name.

“When you joined Bangtan, you were very young. They automatically felt the need to take care of you. I can honestly say from experience that even when you’re 25, they will still take care of you. That is a part of life you will have to get used to.”

“They can’t…”

“I get it. You have to make your own decisions. They know that too, maknae. It will eventually transition to a point where they offer more advice and let you make your own decisions. If you’re hiding your feelings from them to try to seem more mature… they’re going to think you don’t trust them.”

“They don’t know what it’s like. I’m not just the maknae, I’m Jeon JeongGuk, the Golden Maknae of Bangtan. Everything I do has to be perfect.”

“I don’t think that’s the case,” she shook her head. “You make everything look natural and easy. When you sing… it seems effortless to those of us watching. You are so full of natural talent that it’s like a million angels singing when you open your mouth.”

“Shut up!” he pushed her playfully.

“You practice and you push yourself, but it really does look easy. That’s a compliment. You may be working your ass off, scolding yourself and being extremely critical of every note and every movement, but to us is looks like you’re barely breaking a sweat.”

“I sweat a lot.”

She elbowed him and frowned as he laughed at her. “Do you understand what I’m saying? They don’t think you need to be perfect. They think you already are.”

“Ah,” he sighed before taking a drink. “That’s still a lot of pressure. How can I improve from perfection?”

“Try new things? That’s up to you. When you look back on your life in twenty years, what do you want your memories to be? Do you want to feel pressured that you’re not perfect, or do you want to try new things and live this wild ride to the fullest?”

“You’re so smart, Noona,” he nodded. “Thank you.”

“As far as your hyungs… they all seem to be struggling with their own problems right now. I think the seven of you have been working so very hard the past five years that you haven’t stepped back to realize that you’re here. You’ve made it. You’ve broken internationally. Now you have to evolve into the global version of Bangtan. Your mindset needs to change, and your work ethic needs to change. You have to stop thinking like Koreans and broaden your sights.”

“You have a lot of experience from the international side of the fence,” he agreed.

“That’s a lot of change, and a lot of culture shock. You are still going to need them, but they need you just as much.”

He again nodded, his mind mulling over her words.

“I’ve been told that Jimin and I are a lot alike…”

He burst into laughter. “Yes. Very much.”

“Okay, so… if I had known you for this long, and worked every day with you, and gone through all of the hardships with you… and you didn’t feel like you could talk to me about your troubles after all of that… I would be heartbroken. He loves you, Gukkie. I can probably imagine that he lost his temper and then didn’t want to talk to you…”

“That is exactly what happened,” he laughed. “He told me to leave him alone and not to call him. Then I got lost in the rain and had to call him.”

She giggled at him. “I bet that was a sight.”

He nodded. “Thank you, Noona.”

“Anytime,” she looked up at the mountain as they reached the parking lot. “This trail is 12.6 kilometers and goes off of the paved walking trail a few times,” she kicked her legs out and loosened up her arms. “My best time is one hour and ten minutes, but I was pissed off and my adrenaline was racing.”

“Let’s just jog,” he suggested with a smile.

#

Jimin was on the prowl. His vocals were finished, photo shoots were over for the day, and the rappers were finishing up their music. He had nothing left to do and every time there was a single moment of boredom, all he could think about was MinYeon.

He knew his hyung was in love with her, but he also knew that she did not reciprocate his affections. That didn’t excuse the thoughts running through his head at that moment.

He couldn’t take it a moment longer. Sure, he could call her, but he knew how that would end. The last thing he wanted to do was hurt YoonGi like that. So, he would just do what he always did and go hang out in UN Village and find a cute companion for the next few hours.

After the fight he had with JeongGug, he felt like an uplifting atmosphere would be best, so he called one of his high-school friends and met him at the Grand Hyatt.

“Hey bro,” he grinned as they hugged briefly.

“Hey. Thanks for calling me, I was doomed to another boring Saturday night,” HongJoon answered.

“It’s cool. I needed to get out too,” he pressed the elevator button to go up to J.J Mahoney’s party bar.

“So… we on the prowl tonight?”

“Always,” he smirked.

“Who are you tonight?”

“Um…” he rolled his eyes around. “Architect Major at SNU.”

“How do you just come up with this shit?” he laughed.

“It’s a gift,” he nodded. “You can be my roommate’s cousin.”

“Fine.”

They stepped off of the elevator and walked into the bar to see that it was fairly busy. They ordered their drinks and walked to a table to take an initial glance around the bar.

“Any potential?” HongJoon purred as Jimin froze and threw his head back with a sigh. “What is it?”

“Fuck my life,” he growled.

HongJoon looked through the crowd to find a group at a table. They seemed to be part of the college crowd, except for one immensely beautiful woman in the middle. Her hair looked as soft as silk and her skin was milky white. She had on a tight, black knit tank dress accessorized with pink Chanel jewelry and handbag. “That… is a Goddess.”

“Mmm hmm,” Jimin tossed back his drink.

MinYeon smiled politely at a joke that really wasn’t funny as a man from nowhere slid in beside her and began a conversation. She rolled her eyes toward her classmates and waited.

“We don’t know him,” one whispered.

“You are… extremely beautiful,” the strange man slid his arm around her and rested his hand on her waist.

Jimin watched from across the room as she pulled his hand off of her and slipped away. He then frowned as he pulled out his phone and dialed. He again watched as MinYeon smiled while answering.

“Yeobosayo?”

“Where are you?”

She raised her eyebrows and turned away from the table. “Why is that your business?”

He sighed before rolling his eyes. “You sound like you’re at a bar.”

“I’m out with my peer group,” she offered a tight smile. “It’s… so much fun,” she added sarcastically.

“Meet me on the dance floor.”

“What?” she whipped her head up and immediately met his eyes, bursting into a bright grin. Without another word, she dropped her phone back into her purse. “HyeonWoo-ssi, would you mind watching our drinks while we dance?”

She grabbed the hands of SeoYeun and DaEun and pulled them toward the dance floor.

“Of course not,” he smiled as he watched the women walk off.

Jimin watched closely as MinYeon moved with the rhythm of the music, her hips swaying as she moved her arms in time. He swallowed hard as he walked up behind her and placed his hands on her hips.

“It’s about time you joined me,” she spoke over her shoulder without missing a step.

“I thought so,” he hovered over her, his body pushing against her tiny frame.

“Jimin-ah,” she breathed. “Behave.”

“I’ll try,” he wrapped his arms around her. “You make it awfully difficult though.”

“I’d hate to make your life difficult,” she turned to face him.

“I’ll deal with it,” he looked down into her eyes. “Thirsty?”

“Parched,” she smirked at him, the double entendre causing them both to lick their lips as they eyed one another like prey.

“I came here tonight to get you out of my mind. What the fuck am I supposed to do now?”

“Dance with me,” she pressed her body against his.

“Wow. Looks like MinYeon-ssi found a new friend,” SeoYeun giggled into DaEun’s ear.

“Wow. We should leave before the building burns down from their combined hotness.”

“Right?”

“Should we… check on her? At least… meet the hot guy dancing up on her?”

“It would be polite,” they agreed.

“MinYeon-ssi!”

She grinned as she turned around to them.

“Let’s have another round!”

“Can my friend join us? I’m sure he’d be happy to buy a round!”

Jimin burst into laughter. “Of course I will!”

She took his hand and bit her lip before looking up at him. “Come meet my dongsaengs.”

“Okay,” he glanced over at HongJoon and nodded toward the table.

They two staggered into her apartment for the second time in less than a week and collapsed onto her sofa. She pulled off her shoes and dropped them onto the floor as he pulled her into his arms and rested his cheek atop her head.

“That was fun,” he slurred.

“Sometimes it’s nice to just have fun. You don’t need to hunt every time you go out,” she smiled against his chest.

“I didn’t need to hunt tonight, my prey walked right up to me,” he teased her.

She slowly looked up at him. “And not so much as a nibble from my predator.”

“MinYeon-ah…” he whispered. “Why does fate keep trying to push us together?”

“I wish I knew,” she brushed her fingertips across his chest, feeling the tight, defined muscles under the starched cotton of his shirt. Her heart pounded against her chest as she read his eyes.

“Why couldn’t you pick me first?” he clamped his eyes shut and pulled her close to him.

“I’m sorry,” she murmured. She knew he was struggling. Friends were everything to the both of them, for they had only a few true ones. The last thing either of them wanted to do was hurt one of them, and this… would hurt YoonGi twice as badly.

“I need to go before…”

“Okay,” she pushed away from him and walked off to her room, sliding the door behind her.

He balled up his fists and clamped his eyes shut for a moment before taking a heavy breath and leaving.

#

YoonGi lay back on the sofa in his studio and stared up at the ceiling. He held his phone above his face, staring at a photo of MinYeon before again dropping it onto his stomach. She must be really busy if she hadn’t answered his text in over two hours. He only hoped she was in the studio and not out with someone else—not him.

Since the day she called him Oppa, he had been on edge. He wanted to know if she meant it, or if it was a slip from her drunken lips. This sea of limbo he was floating in was driving him crazy.

His phone buzzed as he quickly picked it up. She was calling him. His eyes widened as he sat up and answered. “Yeobosayo.”

“Hi. I got your text. I was in the SNU auditorium and they turn their WiFi off during performances to cut down on rude phone calls interrupting the cast.”

“That’s actually a good idea,” he laughed. “So… I have the next four days off before the Lotte Concert and three of my oldest members want to hang out with you.”

“Wae?”

“NamJoon, Jinhyung, and Hobi want to get to know you. Actually, Hobi talks about you nonstop. I honestly thought he was going to beat me to asking you out.”

She raised her eyebrows and listened to him rattle on nervously. “Are you okay?”

“Why wouldn’t I be?”

“You seem nervous.”

“I am. My best friends, my brothers, want to meet you and get to know you. They want to help us out once you’ve gone completely public.”

“Ah,” she smiled. “Okay. It was going to be a mask night in, but…”

“I’ll bring masks. We need to take care of our skin too.”

“Idols,” she giggled. “Why not? I’m home. I’ll probably hop in the shower quickly and wash my face.”

“I’ll bring food, beer, soju, and a movie to watch. And extra masks.”

“I’ll see you in a bit,” she giggled before ending the call.

He then immediately switched over to group chat and notified the three eldest members, other than himself, that they were going to a facial night at MinYeon’s.

She opened the door wearing her hair in a messy bun, a pair of slashed acid washed leggings, and a black t-shirt with the definition of ‘fuck’ on it.

“Nice,” YoonGi smirked as the others tried to read the English.

“Fuck can be used in many ways and is probably the only fucking word that can be put every fuckingwhere and still make fucking sense. Fuckers,” SeokJin burst out laughing after reading the shirt.

“That’s why you two are together,” HoSeok raised his eyebrows.

YoonGi cleared his throat as MinYeon simply laughed.

“So, what movie are we watching?” she looked around at all of the bags.

“Midnight Sun,” NamJoon answered.

“Oh cool, I like Bella Thorne,” she showed him to the television as the others set out food and drinks.

“She is so gorgeous,” SeokJin mumbled to YoonGi.

“I know,” he grinned.

“I don’t think we’ve formally met,” she bowed to SeokJin. “I’m Kim MinYeon.”

“Kim SeokJin,” he smiled. “We were asleep when you stayed over,” he laughed.

“Sorry,” she looked away.

“You’re fine. You didn’t wake us up, so…”

“Us?”

“My girlfriend was with me, Park MiHyeon.”

“Hannah? She was my brother’s manager and now she’s writing songs?”

“Yes,” he grinned proudly.

“I’d like to work with her. I’ve actually been talking to her brother Justin for some time now. Small world.”

“I guess so.”

“Soju?” YoonGi stepped between them and handed her a glass.

“Thank you,” she flashed her eyes up at him.

He winked at her before walking off to grab the food.

They had all settled in to watch the movie, were eating, and deciding which face masks they were going to use when HoSeok answered his phone. “Yeobosayo? We’re having a hyung night… and you’re a maknae,” he answered plainly. “You know how to make ramen. Yes. Yes. Ugh,” he dropped the phone. “They want to come over too.”

MinYeon raised her eyebrows and looked around the room. “The only space left is on the floor.”

“They heard you. They want to hang out too. And they’ll bring futons.”

YoonGi threw his head back and sighed. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine,” she laughed. “Tell them to bring their own masks.”

“I’ll send my location… TaeHyung and Jimin have been here before… Okay.” He ended the call and looked around. “We should eat the galbi before JungKook gets here.”

“Yes,” NamJoon dug in as they all followed.

YoonGi paused for a moment. “Jimin’s been here?”

“95-Liner night,” she answered. “I made potato pancakes after. TaeHyung-ie picked him up after.”

He nodded slowly as he and SeokJin met eyes.

By the time the youngest three members showed up, they had just opened and applied their masks. They walked in and immediately began to take photos.

“Stop,” YoonGi admonished them. “Just sit down and watch the movie.”

“Hello,” the three bowed to MinYeon.

“Welcome,” she waved to them.

“Were’s the food?” Jimin looked at the table.

“We bought enough for us,” YoonGi explained. “We weren’t expecting you.”

“I’m on it,” JeongGuk pulled out his phone and began ordering from a delivery app.

“I am really trying to watch this movie,” SeokJin scolded them.

“Sorry, hyung,” they dashed off to the sink to wash their faces and prepare their masks.

YoonGi caught MinYeon biting down on her lips, trying not to laugh.

Everyone eventually calmed down and finished the movie. Every once in a while, MinYeon would glance over to find that Jimin was watching her. YoonGi was so into the movie that he did even notice.

Once it was over, and all faces were nicely masked and serum had been applied, a game of ‘Cards Against Humanity’ was played.

“How do we split up into teams?” JeongGuk asked.

“The three of you are the same age,” YoonGi pointed to MinYeon, Jimin, and TaeHyung.

“True” they turned to one another.

“What months?” TaeHyung asked.

“October 13th,” MinYeon answered.

“October 13th?” Jimin looked surprised. “The exact same day? That’s my birthday!”

“We are twins!” the two burst out before hugging tightly.

“That’s quite a bond,” SeokJin warned YoonGi.

“Ne,” he sighed.

“Okay, okay… what time?” she asked Jimin.

“Six in the evening.”

“Six in the morning. I’m exactly twelve hours older.”

“So you’re noona?” he quipped as she quieted.

“December 30th,” TaeHyung butted in. “You’re definitely noona,” he grinned.

They all burst into whooping as they high-fived one another.

“Aish,” YoonGi complained. “This can’t be good at all.”

“You suggested it, hyung,” HoSeok mumbled.

“If we’re going by age, Hobi and I are 94 liners,” NamJoon suggested.

“Two, three, and three?” SeokJin glanced around the room. “Sounds good.”

“Okay, we need to refill our drinks before we do this,” MinYeon poured glasses of soju for her teammates.

“I don’t drink...” TaeHyung began to protest.

“That’s fine, just dilute it,” she reached for the Sprite in front of HoSeok and poured a little into TaeHyung’s glass. “See?”

He took a sip before smacking his lips and then smiling. “Daebak!”

“Sorry, HoSeok-ssi!” she dashed off to the refrigerator and brought him back a new drink.

“Thank you,” he grinned at her, not upset in the least.

“And hana... dul... ses...” Jimin counted off as the three tipped their heads back.

“I think we’re all staying here tonight,” JeongGuk grinned before tipping his head back as well.

Cards were dealt and a black card placed on the table.

“Is this the Kpop edition?” MinYeon giggled.

“Ne,” SeokJin grinned.

“Why was Donghae’s butt sore?” she fell back into giggles.

Jimin laughed as he read over their team’s choices.

TaeHyung pointed to one.

“What about that one?” she whispered.

“That one,” Jimin pointed.

She nodded and handed the card to SeokJin.

“Okay… Why is Donghae’s butt sore? Korean barbeque,” he made a face. “No. Why is Donghae’s butt sore?” he flipped over the second card. “Because of TWOOOOO PEEEEEEE EMMMMMMM,” he burst into laughter.

The 95 Liners gave one another high-fives.

“That was lame,” Hoseok argued.

“A win nonetheless,” Jimin chuckled.

MinYeon pulled a black card and read it. “Buy *blank* on iTunes.”

YoonGi immediately handed her a card as NamJoon and Hoseok discussed their options. They handed her a card, which she took and divided between Jimin and TaeHyung.

Jimin flipped his over. “Buy ‘Tragic Ballads by Under Rated, Over Talented Idols’ on iTunes,” he smirked.

TaeHyung followed. “Buy ‘Culturally Accepted Offensive Racism’ on iTunes,” bursting into laughter before he was finished.

“Yes,” YoonGi nodded stoically.

It was nearly three in the morning when they decided they were all too drunk and too tired to go back to the dorm. SeokJin and NamJoon stole one of the futons, Ho-Seok and Tae-Hyung stole the sofa, and Jimin and JeongGuk had the second futon.

“If you need to use the bathroom, it’s through the bedroom. Please remember to close the door behind you,” YoonGi pleaded for them to use their manners.

“So you’re sleeping in there?” Jimin asked him.

“My sofa is occupied,” he turned to HoSeok and TaeHyung. “Comfy isn’t it?”

“Very,” HoSeok yawned.

“Nng,” TaeHyung followed.

“The bedroom door will be closed but unlocked…”

“So no love for Min Suga tonight,” Jimin grinned. “Too bad... that definitely wouldn’t stop me.”

“I will kill you if you don’t close your mouth.”

Everyone quieted as he turned to walk into the bedroom and slid the door behind him.

“Your mouth doesn’t stop when you’re drunk,” Hoseok complained as Jimin lay back and sighed.

“I’ll shut up now.”

“Good idea,” TaeHyung hissed.

“You’re so mean,” MinYeon hissed at YoonGi.

“I have to be, they’d walk all over me if I wasn’t,” he whipped his shirt over his head and threw it onto the floor before unbuttoning his jeans.

She raised her eyebrows as she watched him.

“Habits,” he smirked as he slid into bed in his black boxer briefs.

She cocked her eyebrow before pulling off her t-shirt to reveal a camisole and dropped her leggings to find his favorite pair of pink, lacy panties.

He pursed his lips tightly to keep from moaning as she slid in next to him and turned off the light.

She rolled over and waited as he spooned up behind her.

“Goodnight,” he kissed her shoulder.

“Goodnight,” she pushed her hips back into him.

He breathed heavily against her ear. It was a moment later that he snaked his fingers across her exposed belly.

“Ah,” she breathed. She then pushed her hips into him again. Her weakness. Physical contact. She didn’t want to be rude. She didn’t want to do this with an apartment full of his friends. She certainly didn’t want to do it with Jimin lying ten feet away from her door.

His response was to push up against her and suck her ear into his mouth. She raised her hand up to play with his hair as their hips moved together, rubbing and teasing one another until their arousal was nearly uncontrollable.

“Oppa,” she whispered.

“There’s no designated driver tonight,” he whispered, his lips against her ear. “Please aegi-ya,” he slid his hand down, under the band of her panties. She bit down on her tongue and threw her head back, enjoying his touch.

She turned her head to catch his lips as the door slid open and caused them to freeze. Neither moved a muscle as JeongGuk staggered to the bathroom and closed the door behind him. She covered her mouth to keep from laughing as he looked up at the door and waited. The toilet flushed. The water ran. The door opened. He then walked out and closed the door behind him.

He waited with a grin on his face as he heard movement for a few more minutes. It was then quiet again.

“We’re good,” he whispered before moving his hand up to cup her breast from under her camisole. She again bit down on her tongue as she slid her hand back to grope his solid erection.

He quickly pushed down his briefs and she took quick care to throw off her panties. He then wrapped his hand around the inside of her thigh and lifted it as he slid inside her from behind.

They kept as quiet as they could, considering the incredible frenzy of their lovemaking. She moved her head and arched her back as he continued his assault, his hips slapping against the back of hers.

She bit down harder on her tongue, the pain searing as her body begged for release. He moved his hand between her legs and helped her along, taking mere seconds until her body exploded. The impact of her walls clamping down on him was all he needed to follow her into oblivion.

They quietly caught their breath as he wrapped his arms around her, kissing her shoulder, neck, and ear repeatedly. She then turned to kiss him once again, but he pulled away.

“I taste blood,” he whispered.

“I had to work really hard to keep quiet,” she kissed him again.

“I’m so sorry,” he cupped her face in his hands.

“Don’t be,” she pushed away to grab her panties and scamper off to the bathroom. He arrived a bit later, back in his boxers and her ‘fuck’ shirt and turned on the light to look at her tongue.

“I’m fine,” she assured him.

“Let me see,” he waited.

She opened her mouth and showed him her tongue, which was still bleeding.

“I am sorry,” he pulled her into his arms.

“I’m fine,” she kissed his neck. “I could never be sorry for being with you.” She pulled back to smile at him, only to find the most serious look on his face she had ever seen.

“Yeon-ie,” he looked into her eyes, his voice leaving him.

“We’re both drunk,” she placed her finger over his mouth, turning out the light and leading him back into her bedroom. She then pulled him through the sliding glass door and out onto the balcony to talk.

“Does that mean you say things when you’re drunk that you don’t mean?”

“It means that I say too much when I’m drunk,” she sighed.

He nodded his head. He understood her completely. He wasn’t supposed to have a girlfriend, and he knew by continuing a relationship with her he was putting her in danger. He shouldn’t be in love with her, but he was.

She told him in the beginning that she didn’t want a boyfriend. Her education and music come before any man, but here he was, sleeping in her bed yet again. Even then, he wondered if he had been her first choice…

“Maybe we should both say the things we’re not supposed to say just this one time, while we’re dunk?”

She shook her head and turned away. “I don’t know about you, but I always tell you exactly what I think.”

“Are you really seeing someone else?”

She nodded her head silently.

“I don’t get it. How can you look at me like that, and make love to me like that, and turn around and do the same with another guy?”

“Because sometimes sex is just sex,” she crossed her arms. “And that back there, that was fucking. Please don’t put more into it.”

“Are you that afraid of being with me?”

She looked up at him, silent tears falling down her cheeks. “Every time I see you, I feel like you’re trying to pull me closer.”

“Why is that so scary?”

“The more I give you, the more you take! When will it be enough?”

He sighed and looked away.

“I’ve told you about Jordan. You know...”

He rolled his eyes around in thought. “You’re scared... he found you.”

She crossed her arms and looked out over the balcony.

“The unknown numbers... they’re him?”

“I don’t know how he could find me, but he says he will. I want to be able to relax for the first time in four years. I want to be able to be with someone without constantly looking over my shoulder. I know from experience that I’m clingy and intense and… that scares men. I’ve learned not to get too attached…”

He cut her off with a long, deep kiss. “I love everything about you. I want to be all in. I want you and everything that comes with it. I love you.”

“What?!”

“Please be mine,” he wrapped his arms around her and kissed her hair. “I don’t want anyone else but you.”

“I’ve never been in love before. I’ve never even said that word in a romantic way.”

“Neither have I. Let’s do it together.”

She wrapped her arms tightly around him and sighed.

“Please stop seeing other guys.”

“What…” her eyes widened as she pulled away. “I can’t… I can’t…” She rolled her eyes. “Please give me time. I need to wrap my brain around this. I haven’t even started classes yet, and then you’ll be touring in September…”

“Every time I see you smile at a text someone else sends, or you tell me you’re busy, or I see a photo of you with other men on Insta… I feel like I’m punishing myself.”

“I’m sorry,” she hugged him.

He kissed her hair one last time. “Let’s go to sleep.”

#

“Are they awake?” JeongGuk whispered at the door.

“I don’t hear anything,” TaeHyung pressed his ear against the door.

“It’s Suga-hyung, they’re still asleep,” Jimin spoke, not whispering at all.

YoonGi let out a perturbed sigh from under the duvet, where he lay with his head on MinYeon’s abdomen. She was, as usual, being used as his pillow as she lay on her back with her arm draped across her eyes, still asleep.

The door slowly slid open as the three youngest members peeked in to look around. They saw their hyung’s clothes piled on the floor next to the bed and a huge lump in the center of it, MinYeon’s head and arm the only things visibly peeking out.

“What do we do?” JeongGuk’s eyes widened.

“He isn’t the easiest to wake up after he’s been drinking,” TaeHyung mumbled.

“He’s isn’t easy to wake up any day,” Jimin bit his lip.

“What are you three doing?” they jumped out of their skin as HoSeok stood behind them while crossing his arms.

“Oh my God,” YoonGi’s voice grumbled from under the duvet.

“Great job,” HoSeok glared at the maknae line.

“Mmm,” MinYeon opened her eyes and tried to stretch out her arms and legs.

“Pillows aren’t supposed to move,” he grumbled before pulling her under the duvet with him, taking her by surprise as she let out a yelp.

“I don’t think they’re coming out any time soon,” HoSeok smirked before walking off to the bathroom.

The front door opened, gaining everyone’s attention as SeokJin announced that he and NamJoon had brought hangover stew and porridge.

From under the duvet, MinYeon and YoonGi opened their eyes and stared at one another.

“I’ll distract them. You get dressed.”

She nodded her head as he slipped out of bed and pulled his jeans on before pushing everyone out of the room and closing the door.

“She must be hungry,” SeokJin quipped as everyone sniggered.

She opened the door and joined them soon after, wearing a pair of red plaid pajama bottoms that were baggy on her, and a black Kendrick Lamar hoodie. She looked up to see TaeHyung starting at her, his mouth agape. “Good morning,” she spoke slowly.

YoonGi rolled his eyes. “He’s in charge of laundry at the dorm. He knows those are mine.”

“Ah,” she giggled. “Yeah… he’s over here a lot.”

“We know,” NamJoon and HoSeok spoke at the same time.

Her phone rang from the bedroom and she turned to dash off to answer it. “Yeobosayo?”

“What is wrong with you guys? You weren’t this embarrassing last night completely sober!” he hissed at his band members.

“I heard you last night,” Jimin answered.

“What?”

“You snuck out to the balcony?” JeongGuk raised his eyebrows.

“No…” he froze, choosing his words carefully. “We went out to the balcony to talk, we didn’t want to wake any of you up.”

“What could you possibly talk about as drunk as you were?” NamJoon asked.

He took in a deep breath and let it out. “Us. Together. Committed.”

There was silence. Jimin clenched his jaw shut and looked away.

“So… you… still aren’t?” TaeHyung asked, his eyes flashing to Jimin.

“I told you all before, it’s complicated,” he whispered. “We talked about it last night.”

They talked about it, yet he didn’t tell them that a decision had been made. What the hell was MinYeon doing?

She returned a few moments later and headed straight for a container of stew.

“Is everything all right?” YoonGi asked her.

“Yes. Apparently, I’m leaving later tonight for Guri with my brother. We’re spending the night and bringing Appa and Eomma back. Then we’re taking them to the festival.”

“Are you still coming both nights?”

“I think so,” she nodded. “And I still have class, so… oh shit. They’re going to have to stay here.”

“I know three maknae who would be more than happy to clean up,” HoSeok smiled at her.

“What?” JeongGuk looked over at him.

“You invited yourselves last night,” SeokJin reminded them.

“It’s okay,” she waved her hands. “This is my place and you’re guests…”

“They are definitely helping,” YoonGi informed her.

She pursed her lips and sighed before digging into her stew. She froze as the hot, salty liquid burned the wound on her tongue. YoonGi immediately handed her a cup of water, guilt eating him up at the reason for her pain. “I’m okay,” she whispered.

Once the trash from the night before had been cleaned, and the living room swept, mopped, and dusted, everyone but YoonGi headed home. They escorted them out the door before walking off to the bed to collapse.

“I started the first load of laundry,” he informed her. “Do I need to hide my stuff or take it home?”

“Do you have that much here?” she turned onto her side and met his eyes.

“It’s growing,” he answered honestly. “Can I ask you a question?”

“That sounds like a ‘ChanYeol’ question.”

“I think I have the right to know about this one.”

She searched his eyes before answering. “Yes.”

He let out a huff, seemingly unwilling to proceed. He worked up the courage to ask the question he didn’t want to know but needed to. “We aren’t exactly being… careful.”

“You aren’t being careful,” she smirked. “I’m on birth control.”

He nodded. “Is he being carful?”

“All but one time,” she answered truthfully.

“I take it he’s clean?”

“Are there THAT many Idols with diseases?”

“Probably not,” he bit his lip. “And you?”

“Believe it or not, I have never been this careless,” she rolled onto her back and sighed. “We just… usually… get caught up in the moment.”

“How dependable is your birth control?”

“It’s the pill. It’s not foolproof, but it’s the strongest thing I can get in Korea. It was so much better in the States,” she sighed. “There were patches and injections and implants… those are all illegal here.”

He played with his ear as he stared up into the ceiling.

“What is it?”

He pulled up to his side and looked down at her. “I asked you to commit last night and I’m leaving for Saipan in a week. We’ll be shooting there for a week or so and when we get back, we go right back recording and video shoots for our next comeback.”

“You just finished promoting for this comeback.”

“I know,” he wrapped a strand of her hair around his finger. “The next comeback happens right before we leave for our world tour. We have most of the new songs written, except mine. I’m procrastinating.”

“So, it will be like not having a boyfriend… like I wanted from the beginning,” she laughed.

“Ah,” he scrunched his face up. “I don’t want you to have to be here alone, waiting for me.”

“I won’t be alone. I have class and a list of companies who want to work with me right now. Believe it or not, before you came along, I pretty much lived in my studio.”

“I completely understand,” he nodded. “That’s why… I don’t want an answer until we get back in October.”

“I’m good with that.”

“Really?”

“As long as you’re good with me… keeping myself from getting… bored.”

“Aish, seriously? Why did you have to go there?”

“Sometimes sex is just sex,” she argued with him.

“Unless it’s with you,” he smirked. “It’s never boring with you.”

“You’re crazy.”

“I’m crazy and selfish and want you all to myself.”

She leaned up to kiss him as he slipped his leg between hers.

“Mmm,” she pushed him back. “Back to the subject of your song. What’s the problem?”

“Each of the rappers has a feature. I can’t decide what I want to do. Every time I write a solo, I feel like it’s the best I’ve ever done. And now I have to write another, and it scares the shit out of me that no one will like it.”

She rolled her eyes around in thought. “Why don’t you do something you haven’t done before then?”

“What’s that?”

“Sing.”

He stared at her, his mind whirling. “I’m a rapper.”

“You’re an idol.”

“Like… for the entire song? I’ve never done that.”

“You can still rap too. Like what we did on ‘Jenga’ but with only you.”

“My voice…”

“I like your voice.”

“That because I’m singing to you, not to millions of ARMY.”

She smiled at him. “Then pretend that ARMY is me. Sing to me,” she whispered.

His mouth dropped open as he thought it over. “Slow Rabbit and I have worked on a song… it was supposed to be for the group.”

“So?”

“Write with me,” he smiled as he pushed a strand of hair over her ear. “It’s supposed to be about love anyway.”

“Won’t that jinx it?” she smirked.

“Not if it’s about stagnant, used up love.”

“Wae?” she laughed.

“You can sing backup too.”

“I haven’t even heard the song yet.”

“It’s bare bones. We can use it and make it ours.”

“Seriously?”

“Snub the guys waiting in line to work with you and work with me instead,” he bit his lip and nodded his head back arrogantly.

“Put me on your schedule, Suga,” she grinned.

“You don’t get to call me that,” he ran his nose up hers.

“Oh?” her breath caught in her throat as he ran his fingers down her side, brushing over her hip before sliding them under his hoodie that she wore.

“You know what I want to hear,” he whispered.

“No…”

“You can do it,” he licked his lips and smiled at her.

“I can’t…”

“Sure you can… just when we’re together,” he coaxed her.

She pouted before pushing him back, rolling him over to straddle him.

“Ooh!” he grinned. “My dominant woman,” he teased her.

She stared into his eyes for a long moment before throwing his hands over his head and pinning him down. She then leaned down and brushed her lips across his ear. “Oppa.”

“Thank you!” he pushed her off and jumped up from the bed.

“Where are you going?!”

“The laundry won’t do itself!”

“You are a pain in the ass!” she accused as his laughter filled the entire flat.

#

She opened the door to let her brother in. “I’m almost ready,” she kissed his cheek before dashing off to finish packing.

He looked around her flat, a surprised smile on his face. “Wow, you cleaned.”

“Mmm, hmm,” she avoided answering. Her apartment had been cleaner than ever since YoonGi visited so much because he would clean it while she was in the studio.

“I haven’t seen your studio yet.”

“Go on!” she called out before stuffing a makeup bag into her overnighter.

He opened the door and stepped in; his eyes wide as it suddenly dawned on him: his little sister was a professional producer. “This is awesome, Yeonnie!”

“I know!” she giggled.

He ran his fingers down the length of the soundboard as he studied all of the speakers, equipment, keyboards… down to the screen savers that read “KMY” in bold, fuchsia letters. He then turned his head to the guitar rack that held one sunset blue Yamaha FG820 Dreadnought Acoustic, one gold Gibson Les Paul Tribute 2018 - Solid Body Electric, and one red Epiphone Limited Edition 1966 G-400 PRO Electric. “Where’s the Fender I bought you for graduation?”

She stuck her head in and frowned. “Stolen in LA.”

“That was a $1000 guitar!”

me?” she asked playfully.

“Your education is important.”

“And my happiness is not important?”

“I just walked into a trap, didn’t I?”

She laughed evilly before downing the rest of her drink.

“Come here,” he pulled her into his lap. “I’ll keep you happy while you’re in school.”

“In what way?”

“In this way,” he leaned in to kiss her neck.

“Mmm,” she ran her fingers through his hair as his phone buzzed in his pocket.

“Aish,” he sighed before answering the call. “Yeobosayo? Yes. Yes. Okay. I’ll be there in a bit.”

She raised her eyebrows.

“I need to rerecord my rap because they changed the timing on a song we’re working on for Festa.”

“Damn,” she sighed.

“Ddaeng,” he corrected her. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be,” she kissed him. “Work comes first.”

“With Festa coming up, I’m not going to be able to see you again until probably July.”

“I understand,” she assured him. “Classes are starting next week anyway, and my cousin is coming to take an electronics class, so I’m babysitting.”

He nodded silently. She could tell he didn’t want to leave. She could also tell that there seemed to be something that he wanted to say—something she was really not ready to hear.

“Go to work, Suga,” she pulled away and walked to the kitchen.

He rubbed his face before standing up to follow her. “You’re being a good Designated Driver tonight.”

“Someone has to.”

He smiled before kissing her. “I’ll call you later.”

“Okay.”

He nodded before walking out the door.

She sighed before pouring a fresh glass as her eyes crawled around the walls. She bit her lip and smiled evilly before sneaking into a chat room he had set up for them.

Minion_95: Are all summer nights this devastatingly boring in Seoul?

She giggled to herself as she saw that he had read the message.

Lucky13: I thought you worked in the music industry? We’re just getting started.

Minion_95: I met with my class today.

Lucky13: You poor thing.

Minion_95: Exactly.

Lucky13: Let me make a few phone calls. You should probably get dressed.

Minion_95: College student or co-worker chic?

Lucky13: How about EXO Princess?

She stared at the phone for a moment.

Minion_95: That’s hot.

#

Jimin stepped out of the car he rented for the night and glanced around at the street before straightening his shirt and sleeves. He ran his fingers through his dark hair and nodded to the driver before walking into the building and looking around. As he approached the elevator, he entered in the code she had given him and waited.

“Hi,” she smiled before pulling back to let him in.

“Hi,” he looked her over in her beautiful blue Chanel minidress and smiled. “Wow, that looks like it was made just for you,” he gushed over her.

“It was my present for moving out of the EXO dorm,” she giggled as he followed her in.

“This is nice,” he looked around before tilting his head at the white sofa and surround sound. “That doesn’t seem like your style though…”

“It’s your hyung’s,” she raised her eyebrows and sighed.

“Really?” he asked slowly. “How close are you?”

“Aish,” she cursed while shaking her head. “We agreed that we wouldn’t be serious, and he bought me furniture,” she crossed her arms. “He’s driving me crazy.”

He sucked his lip into his mouth as he watched her. “Are you seeing someone else?”

“Yes,” she spoke quickly.

“Ah. Got it,” he laughed.

“That’s the plant you sent me,” she pointed to the window.

“It’s big,” he grinned.

“Thank you,” she nodded. “I really like it.”

“Good,” he enjoyed seeing her smile. “So… I’m going to introduce you to a few more 95-Liners tonight. They’ll like you. Everyone likes you.”

“It’s a curse,” she teased him as he flirted with her.

“Right? TaeHyung-ie couldn’t come, he already had plans. He will come next time.”

“Okay,” she reached for her $5,000 blue Chanel handbag and glanced around one last time. “I’m ready.”

He took a moment before looking her over. “You are… beautiful. You pay attention to every detail, don’t you?”

“I try,” she looked him over, noticing his crisp, white, perfectly pressed oxford and Armani slacks before looking up into his eyes. “Are you… Libra too?”

“Really?” he laughed.

“Libra!” they giggled together before wrapping their arms around one another.

“I have a new sister,” he kissed her cheek.

“Yes. This is good.”

“Very good,” he took her hand and led her out the door.

They slid into to the car and sat together as they rode to the next pickup.

“How are you getting adjusted to being back home?”

“I love working so much. I hate working so much. It’s a constant balance.”

“True.”

“There are some things that I miss, like just being… free. It’s the first time I’ve been open about having an idol as a brother too, so it’s different for everyone. My parents are very nervous, so they call many times each day, and I speak to Oppa a lot anyway…”

“I’m glad you’re close.”

“I live two minutes away from SM,” she laughed. “He can see me whenever he wants.”

“Again… that’s good. Living alone has to be exhausting.”

“And living with six other men isn’t?”

“I can’t live alone. You would find me shriveled up in a corner.”

She threw her head back in laughter as he grinned at her.

“I like your smile.”

“I like yours too,” she looked him over as her eyes fell to the many silver rings on his fingers. “YoonGi-ya asked me a few weeks ago if I like you.”

“Why would he do that?”

“I thought you would know.”

He shrugged his shoulders. “We’re the same age… and he tells me a lot that we act alike.”

“Same,” she agreed.

“Maybe we’re soulmates?”

Her breath caught in her throat as she grinned at him.

The car stopped and the door opened, letting on one by one as they made introductions to their newest member: Joshua and JeongHan from Seventeen, Hwasa from Mamamoo, and NaYeon from Twice. They were extremely excited to meet the elusive “Xiumin’s Yeodongsaeng” and even more so to find out that she was their age.

Their first stop was a walk-through to a club that supplied them all with expensive cocktails as they looked around and nodded at the locals.

“Oh my God, she’s amazingly gorgeous,” JeongHan spoke to Jimin.

“I’m aware,” he grinned over his glass. “She’s also fucking my hyung,” he growled.

“Which one?” Joshua frowned.

“That would be a secret,” he smirked. “She’s also a fellow Libra.”

“I’m in heaven,” he grinned.

“I hate you guys,” Joshua shook his head.

“Someone caught Jimin’s eye,” Hwasa purred at MinYeon.

“We’re friends,” she chirped at her.

“That’s so cute,” NaYeon giggled at her.

“So are you,” she laughed.

“I really like you,” Hwasa looked across the table. “Nice choice.”

“I know,” he flashed his pearly grin at her.

“There are two constants in this world,” NaYeon informed MinYeon. “The sun rises and sets every single day.”

“And the second?”

“Jimin gets more ass than a park bench,” Hwasa burst out as all three women cackled.

“You have the cutest, squishiest cheeks I’ve ever seen,” JeongHan watched MinYeon. “You are now my Squishy.”

“Yes!” Joshua agreed as the men toasted her. “Bbang-Tteok!”

“To Squishy!” they tipped their heads back.

“We have so many other people to introduce her to!” Hwasa called out to them.

“We do,” NaYeon agreed as she felt a tug at her hand. She turned around to see a businessman grinning down at her.

“Hello there, beautiful.”

“Hello,” she immediately went into idol mode and bowed to him shyly.

“Do you think we could go somewhere to get to know one another better?”

MinYeon raised her eyebrows as Joshua stepped in.

“Excuse me, we’re leaving,” he rested his hand across her back and escorted her out. In fact, all three men felt the need to protect the women and lead them out as they headed to the next club.

“I’ll text the manager and tell him he needs to vet the VIP section better,” JeongHan complained.

“Are you okay?” Jimin took MinYeon’s hand.

“I’m fine, why?”

“The look on your face when she lowered her voice…”

“I will never get used to seeing women subservient,” she shook her head.

“I hope you never do,” he agreed.

By the time they made it to the next club, security was a bit higher and the questions more personal.

“How many of us do you know?” Hwasa asked her.

“Us?” she quipped.

“Idols,” JeongHan watched her. “It’s a valid question.”

“Define… know,” she squinted at him over her glass.

“EXO,” Jimin counted, “Bangtan, ACE…”

“I worked with ACE, does that count?” she asked.

“Yes.”

“Oh,” she grinned. “Wow, then… BigBang…”

“Wait, WHAT?!” Hwasa stopped her.

“I’m close with two members,” she looked away. “Zico, Jessi, CL…”

“You’re a hiphop girl?” Joshua nodded drunkenly.

“I am,” she hummed.

“Interesting,” NaYeon licked her lips after finishing off another drink.

“Have I passed the test yet?” she huffed.

“Nope!” they answered back with laughter.

A group of men walked past them as a few stopped and looked down at MinYeon.

“Wooooo! Look at you, pretty thang!” they spoke in English.

She raised her eyebrows and glanced at their Korean companions.

“Sorry,” they whispered to her.

“I want one of these! Where do I get one of these?!”

“Excuse me!” Jimin pushed him back. “Please don’t be rude!”

“It’s okay,” MinYeon grabbed his hand. “I’m okay,” she whispered.

He glanced down at her as once again the men felt the need to protect the women and find another place.

“Believe it or not, I can take care of myself,” she whispered to him as they walked out the door.

“Your point?” he snipped at her.

Her eyes widened as they were stopped in an alley by the same men.

“So many pretty girls,” they glanced over the men. “All of them.”

“I’m tired of this shit,” MinYeon sighed.

“Let’s just go,” Hwasa grabbed her hand.

“You are all idols. I’m not,” she hissed.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Joshua asked her.

She turned around and looked up at the man who had looked her over in the club.

“What’s a kitty cat like you doing with those girly boys?”

She let out a quick breath before thrusting her hand up into his nose. In seconds, he was in the fetal position on the ground in front of him. “Who is next?” she asked in English as the men took off running.

“That was amazing!” Jimin clapped his hands together.

“You can protect my body any time!” JeongHan wrapped his arms around her as they walked off to the next bar.

Jimin staggered back into her apartment behind her and dropped onto the sofa. He let out a sigh and glanced at his phone to see that TaeHyung had texted him. He typed something in return as he heard the clanging of pans and turned to see that she was heating up the stove. “You’re cooking?”

“I need something greasy,” she slurred while peeling a potato. She then pulled a few things out of the refrigerator.

“Should you really be using a sharp knife right now?” he quipped.

“You can’t have gamjajeon without sauce,” she huffed.

“True,” he glanced at her ingredients. “Where’s the green onion and gochugaru?”

“When I first moved to LA, I didn’t know where the Asian market was and had to figure out ways to make things differently. Now when I miss it, I can make this and it reminds me…” she chopped up an onion and jalapeno and added it to soy sauce and vinegar. He sprinkled it with sesame seeds and smiled as she stirred it.

“You like spicy food?”

“I love spicy food,” she lifted the spoon for him.

“Woah!” he coughed. “Nice.”

She grated the potato and the rest of the onion before adding salt and potato starch. After mixing it well, she added it to a hot pan of oil and made a large pancake.

“I need to learn to cook more than mandu and ramen.”

“Yes, you do,” she giggled. “My parents were both teachers, so I cooked and Oppa cleaned. When my parents got tired of something I made, Obahan would teach me something new. And then Oppa became a trainee,” she looked away.

“Obahan? Is your halmeoni Japanese?”

“Both of her parents were Korean, but she was raised in Osaka. She taught me Osaka ben after MinSeok-ie left.”

He watched her face as she let the sadness of her memories affect her for only a moment before returning her attention to the pan. He knew all too well how to hide his true feelings and place a mask on for others, he did it every day. Until that moment, he didn’t realize that others did it as well. “You don’t like idols,” he read her.

“I don’t like the concept. I think it’s ludicrous to submit yourself to torture for the benefit of others,” she answered honestly.

“Yet… you’re in the music business.”

“I make music because all of this… shit is in my head. If I don’t get it out and do something with it, I do stupid things.”

He absently pushed her hair over her shoulder as he watched her. “I can’t imagine what it’s like to remember absolutely everything.”

“It’s not like that. My mother and brother have similar things, but I had psychological testing when I was younger. I have an eidetic memory and two forms of synesthesia. They’re supposed to be syndromes or defects, but it’s all I’ve ever known.”

“So… how does it work?”

“I can vividly remember what I see, but I catalog when I see it, where I was, and where it is in relation to other memories I have. So I have this… filing system in my head. Sometimes it gets overwhelmingly full and I will subconsciously flush something out. So… I keep a journal on my computer and am able to search for key words. Of course, I have to go through the filing system to find the key words,” she shook her head. “I probably sound crazy.”

“No,” he smiled at her. “It’s fascinating.”

“If my what I see has an aural or sound element, I will remember how those sounds feel and it enhances the memory. There are some things I remember and it will feel like it happened two minutes ago.”

“That probably includes bad things.”

“It’s not all bad,” she smiled for him. “Like… remembering the exact moment I met you,” she looked up at him and locked her eyes with his. “Your voice is deeper than it was then, and you’ve lost your tan. You don’t wear as much eyeliner as you did, but you still line your eyes. You’re much thinner than you were, but still quite toned. You still have the same smile,” she momentarily lost herself in his eyes for a moment as she remembered everything about the day she met him. “It makes me feel like I’ve known you for much longer than the past few weeks.”

He wanted to kiss her so badly his body ached, but his buzzing phone caught his attention. “TaeHyung-ie’s coming to get me. He doesn’t seem to trust me with you… alone.”

“That’s probably wise,” she smiled before grabbing the handle of the pan and shaking it around a few times. She then tossed the pan, flipping the pancake perfectly as he burst into laughter.

“That was perfect!”

They gathered the food and walked over to the table, sitting across from one another.

“JeongHan really likes you,” he spoke before stuffing his face.

She smiled as she stared at the pancake. “Liking me is easy. Being my friend is not.”

He tilted his head as he watched her. “Why would being your friend be difficult?”

She shrugged her shoulders. “I’m not like other people,” she looked away. “Yoongi-ya is beginning to find that out and I’m not sure he likes it.”

He chewed slowly as he watched her. “Is it because you won’t commit to only him?”

She nodded her head silently. “The thought of being in love is great, but that’s all it is. It’s a thought. What’s the point in locking yourself down to one person? It’s just a waste of time.”

“You’ve never been in love?”

“I fall in love every day,” she burst into giggles as he laughed at her.

“You want to keep your options open. I can respect that.”

“I mean… what if I walk into a building tomorrow and find the love of my life? I should be available for that moment, right?”

“You’re crazy,” he watched her.

“If you can’t be with the one you love, love the one you’re with,” she raised her glass to him.

He smirked at her before raising his glass and nodding.

#

MinYeon awoke to the ringing phone. She looked at the number before rolling her eyes. “Oppa! It’s too early!”

“Then you haven’t seen the charts!”

“What charts?”

“The top five albums this morning are SHINee, WannaOne, Bangtan, A.C.E., and ONF!”

“What?!” she sat straight up in bed.

“You can now add ‘Chart Topping Producer’ to your resume! We need to celebrate!”

“We do!”

“I’m taking you to Jeju! Meet us at the airport at noon!”

“Us?”

“Chan-Yeol, DO, and Se-Hun want to come too.”

“Okay. I’ll pack and bag and meet you there.”

She immediately texted Yoon-Gi.

Minion_95: It looks like you’ve got a bit of competition.

Minion_95: *Inserts screen shot of the weekly charts*

MYG_93: Congratulations. I’m glad the rest of Korea knows what we’ve known all along. You’re a kick-ass slaysian.

Minion_95: I need that on a t-shirt.

MYG_93: You should know better than to say those things to me.

Minion_95: I should. I need to go though. Oppa’s taking me to Jeju to celebrate.

MYG_93: Have fun and send pics of you in that black bikini. It’s in your top right drawer.

Minion_95: You’re at my place too much.

MYG_93: Someone has to do your laundry. By the way, what the hell happened to Jimin? He hasn’t come home wasted this bad in a long time.

Minion_95: Gotta go! Later!

MYG_93: Bye aegi-ya!

Her eyes widened at his use of “baby.” ChanYeol called her ‘honey’ as a joke, and to get a rise out of her. YoonGi called her that because… she stared off at the floor, lost in thought. Was that what she wanted? Did she want YoonGi, or did she want something more—from someone else?

It took her much longer to pack than it usually did, due to the fact that she kept rolling around ideas and what-ifs in her head the whole time. “I can’t do this,” she whispered. “I can’t do this,” she shook her head and put him out of her mind. “Damn it. I can’t do this.”

She stepped out of the taxi at the airport and immediately heard screams as a black van arrived. She smirked without looking up as the driver helped her with her suitcase. She thanked him and turned to see four men with hats, sunglasses, and masks over their faces.

“Incognito doesn’t seem to be working for you,” she smirked.

“It never does,” ChanYeol grabbed her bag as they walked into the airport together.

“Are you ready for this?” MinSeok took her hand. “You’ll be all over the internet very quickly.”

“The hidden sister will be out forever,” SeHun agreed.

“It’ll happen sooner or later if I’m producing award-winning albums.”

The four men nodded just before taking off into the airport.

The screaming was unreal. The flashes were blinding. The grabbing and pushing was unexpected. From the moment they stepped through the doors, up to the ticket counter, and even going through security, the four were photographed and videoed more than she had ever been in her life.

“Are you okay?” KyungSoo checked on her.

“I’ll be fine,” she smiled for him. “Thank you,” she felt comfortable knowing that most, if not all of her brother’s members treated her like their own little sister.

“Xiumin! Is that your girlfriend?!” a fan screamed at them.

The siblings immediately turned to one another and made faces of disgust, which caused the other three to laugh.

“Who is she?!” another fan screamed.

“She’s too pretty to be an employee! Who is she?!”

“Wow,” MinYeon stepped through security and retrieved her bag.

As the five walked off toward the gate, MinYeon received a text from Mackelli. Their song “Tears Flow” that she wrote, created, and produced for _About Time_ had entered the Korean Top 100 at 82.

“Oh my God,” she stopped walking. “I have a charting single as well.”

MinSeok grinned proudly as he gave her a tight, loving hug. “I’m so proud of you, Yeonnie. I’m very happy to see you doing what you love, before the world knows you’re my sister.”

“Me too,” she rested her forehead against his shoulder.

“Come on,” ChanYeol glanced around. “They’re getting too close.”

The siblings held hands as the five of them walked down to their gate.

Once they arrived on Jeju, the trip became a vlog.

“Annyong chingu! I’m currently in Jeju with my EXO oppas and we’re going to eat heuk dweji, the black pig. We’ve asked several people on the way here where we should go to get the best heuk dweji and they’ve said that around here they’re all pretty good.

“As with every good meal, it always tastes better after a strenuous workout, and since we are celebrating right now, we’re going to spend the day at the beach!”

Min-Seok didn’t exactly like the fact that his little sister was running around the beach in a tiny black bikini, and he liked it even less that she had SeHun take a photo for her, but he really hated the way ChanYeol was looking her down like a piece of meat. All was forgotten, however, as she shot footage for her vlog and made sure each of them received their appropriate screen time.

When they had enough of the sun, she changed batteries in her camera, and they set out for a restaurant with a beautiful view of the ocean. They sat around a table and drank as their food and side dishes began arriving.

“Okay, so there’s ogyupsal heuk dweji, and our banchan are bean sprouts, napa cabbage kimchi, raw garlic and ssamjang, we’re going to wrap our meat with the lettuce, raw onion with sauce, and cucumber kimchi. There are two types of seating, you can sit at a table or you can take your shoes off, plop down on a mat, and sit on the floor.

“Oh! And a friendly reminder… when going to Korean barbeque, do NOT wear your best clothes. You will leave smelling like your meal…”

KyungSoo burst out laughing as the men all agreed.

“Not date friendly,” ChanYeol spoke in English.

“Definitely not,” she agreed.

Once they were completely stuffed and filming had ended, they moved to a house they had rented that had a pool. They spent the rest of the day drinking and playing around in the water.

SeHun was the first to turn in, completely exhausted from a combination of his acting schedule and the day’s events. The second was KyungSoo, who staggered off to his room while humming to himself. Finally, MinSeok, the clean freak that he was, decided to shower even though they spent most of the day in water.

As soon as the bathroom door closed and locked, ChanYeol turned to MinYeon. “Congratulations, jagi-ya. I’m proud of you.”

“Thank you,” she smiled drunkenly as he grabbed her hand.

“I think we should celebrate,” he added lowly before pulling her off to the kitchen.

He picked her up and sat her on the bar, kissing her deeply as she wrapped her legs around him. He usually liked it when she made noises, but this time would have to be quick and quiet.

He untied the straps of her bikini and sucked on her skin as she ran her fingers up his sides, teasing him as her thighs squeezed his hips. He pulled the bottoms of her bikini aside as she pushed his damp swim trunks down his hips. He pulled her closer, wrapping his arm around her as he pushed his way inside her.

They both bit their lips, trying like hell to stay quiet but hurry at the same time. If Min-Seok caught them, he would not be happy. She threw her head back and closed her eyes as she ran her fingers through his shaggy brown hair, enjoying the feelings overtaking her entire body. He buried his face into the crook of her neck and let the smell of her natural perfume intermixed with sand and sea overwhelm his senses.

This wasn’t going to last long; it wasn’t meant to—yet the sexual tension growing between them for the entire day had brought them precisely to that moment.

She bit down harder on her lip as she tightened her legs around him. His hips pounded into hers repeatedly until her body burst into eloquent spasms, tightening around him and demanding his own release.

He grunted into her shoulder, their bodies calming as their lungs fought for breath. He kissed her neck, moving up to her chin and then finally returning to her lips.

He pulled back and ran his thumb across her bottom lip, smearing the blood that had appeared once she bit through from trying to keep quiet. He silently showed her his thumb before sticking it into his mouth.

She touched her mouth and looked at the blood on her fingers before licking her lip, trying to hide the evidence. He carefully held her as she returned to wobbly legs, adjusting their clothes and trying like hell to calm their breathing.

“Good night,” he kissed her.

“Good night,” she grinned.

ChanYeol walked to the room he and KyungSoo were sharing to find him on his side, his head propped up on his hand as he smiled at him. “I knew it,” he slurred.

“What?”

“You and MinYeon-ie...”

He raised his eyebrows as he sat onto his bed. “What are you talking about?”

“You tried like hell to be quiet,” he smirked. “You weren’t. It’s a good thing hyung’s in the shower.”

“Aish,” he looked away.

“How serious is it?”

“It’s not,” he answered plainly. “She’s dating Min YoonGi as well, maybe someone else… I don’t know.”

“I am so confused...”

“Nah,” he smiled. “She’s dating both of us. We both know. She just... she’s afraid of being in love, I think. I don’t think she’ll ever give her heart to a man until she finally… falls.”

“Wow. That’s insane!”

“Shhhh,” he chuckled.

He stared at him for a moment. “Are you sure she doesn’t love you?”

He shook his head. “We’re not in love. We just have fun.”

He plopped onto his back and sighed. “Right...”

Min-Seok returned to the room he and his sister were sharing to find that she was already in bed, sound asleep. He watched her for a moment with a smile on his face before slipping into his bed and doing the same.

#

“MinYeon-ssi isn’t hidden anymore,” NamJoon spoke as he read a news article on his phone.

He, YoonGi, and SeokJin sat in hair and makeup preparing for the 5th anniversary of their debut. They held a yearly party for the fans, ARMY, called Festa.

“It doesn’t help when she goes to the clubs with the 95-Liners,” YoonGi laughed.

“So she’s out? Will they make a statement?”

“I’m not sure. She’s still known as KMY in the music industry and Mina Kim on Youtube. As far as I’m concerned, I’m dating MinYeon and not KMY.”

“That’s ridiculous. You’re YoonGi and SUGA and AgustD. You’re all of those people and she is too,” SeokJin laughed.

“You two haven’t talked about it?” NamJoon looked confused.

He scrunched his nose and glared at him. “No.”

“So you two aren’t…” SeokJin began. They all looked up in the mirror to find their four dongsaengs close, pretending not to eavesdrop.

“It’s complicated,” he answered for all of them. “I don’t like that it’s complicated, but it is. And now that she’s no longer the hidden sister, it will be worse.”

“I’ll help if I can,” HoSeok spoke up. “I have an apartment my parents stay in when they’re in Seoul. You can use it to meet for a date or something.”

Jimin stared at YoonGi for a moment before turning to speak to his manager.

“I’m sure Hannah wouldn’t mind helping out too,” SeokJin smirked.

“Thanks,” he smiled as he received a notice that EXO Official had posted on Insta. He clicked on it to find a post with multiple pics, a caption that read “We are family.” He raised his eyebrows and prepared himself as the first photo was of Suho and his older brother. He swiped left to see Chen and his older brother. He swiped again to see Kai and his older sisters. It was followed by ChanYeol and his older sister, who was a news broadcaster in Seoul. He sped up, passing quickly over KyungSoo and his older brother, BaekHyun and his older brother, and Se-Hun and his older brother. Finally, there was Xiumin and MinYeon. It was official. The hidden sister was no more, and now the world knew who she was—though they were not aware of her alias KMY, or her given name to be honest.

He dialed his phone and placed his right earbud into his ear.

“Nng,” she grunted.

“I take it your trip was good?”

“Nng,” she grunted again. “Too much of a good thing.”

“Soju?”

“It’s all a blur. They were determined to kill me.”

He grinned as he listened to her. “EXO posted a pic of you and your brother. They didn’t announce your name yet.”

“That will happen after their performance at the Lotte Family Concert on the 23rd.”

“Ah. We’re performing on the 22nd.”

“I know. I’m heading there right after class.”

“Aww… you’re coming to see me?”

“Mmm hmm,” she yawned. “My head’s still spinning. I have no idea how I made the flight back.”

“Drink some water and go back to sleep. I need to finish getting ready.”

“Will it be on VLive?”

“Yes.”

“Okay,” she breathed heavily. “I can do this.”

“Yeonnie, go back to sleep. You can always watch it another time.”

“Okay,” she mumbled.

“Text me when you wake up.”

“Okay,” she repeated.

He smirked before closing his eyes and waiting for the stylist to finish his look.

Later that afternoon, MinYeon received a call from a number she didn’t recognize. She stared at it for a moment before answering. “Yeobosayo?”

“Noona…” she knew that voice anywhere.

“JeongGukkie,” she smiled. “How are you today?”

“I… You are so smart and you know a lot of things… and I don’t know who else to talk to.”

“That sounds serious,” she spoke slowly. “Where would you like to meet to talk?”

“I don’t know… nowhere around the hyungs.”

“Okay… meet me at the Achasan Metro station. Have your running shoes on.”

“Got it. Thanks,” he chuckled before ending the call.

She ran her fingers through her hair and let out a deep breath before changing into running gear and heading that way.

As soon as he saw her, he gave her that sweet boyish grin and waved. He may have been twenty-one years old, but he still possessed a very sweet, young boy charm that she adored about him.

“Are we running?” he looked around.

“No, we are warming up through the market,” she held her hand out to the mountain. “Then we’re running.”

“Daebak,” he grinned. “That’s a great idea.”

“So… talk,” she handed him a water bottle as he sped up their walk.

He rolled his eyes around for a moment. “I had a huge argument with Jimin-hyung. He’s angry because I won’t confide in him as a hyung.”

“Why not?”

“There are some things I feel like I need to work out on my own. How am I going to become a man if my hyungs solve all of my problems for me?”

She raised her eyes and smiled. “And that’s the life of the maknae,” she nodded in complete understanding. “I’m the youngest out of most of my friends. Even in the 95-Liners, there aren’t many born after me… except TaeTae.”

He burst into laughter to hear her call his older member such a cute name.

“When you joined Bangtan, you were very young. They automatically felt the need to take care of you. I can honestly say from experience that even when you’re 25, they will still take care of you. That is a part of life you will have to get used to.”

“They can’t…”

“I get it. You have to make your own decisions. They know that too, maknae. It will eventually transition to a point where they offer more advice and let you make your own decisions. If you’re hiding your feelings from them to try to seem more mature… they’re going to think you don’t trust them.”

“They don’t know what it’s like. I’m not just the maknae, I’m Jeon JeongGuk, the Golden Maknae of Bangtan. Everything I do has to be perfect.”

“I don’t think that’s the case,” she shook her head. “You make everything look natural and easy. When you sing… it seems effortless to those of us watching. You are so full of natural talent that it’s like a million angels singing when you open your mouth.”

“Shut up!” he pushed her playfully.

“You practice and you push yourself, but it really does look easy. That’s a compliment. You may be working your ass off, scolding yourself and being extremely critical of every note and every movement, but to us is looks like you’re barely breaking a sweat.”

“I sweat a lot.”

She elbowed him and frowned as he laughed at her. “Do you understand what I’m saying? They don’t think you need to be perfect. They think you already are.”

“Ah,” he sighed before taking a drink. “That’s still a lot of pressure. How can I improve from perfection?”

“Try new things? That’s up to you. When you look back on your life in twenty years, what do you want your memories to be? Do you want to feel pressured that you’re not perfect, or do you want to try new things and live this wild ride to the fullest?”

“You’re so smart, Noona,” he nodded. “Thank you.”

“As far as your hyungs… they all seem to be struggling with their own problems right now. I think the seven of you have been working so very hard the past five years that you haven’t stepped back to realize that you’re here. You’ve made it. You’ve broken internationally. Now you have to evolve into the global version of Bangtan. Your mindset needs to change, and your work ethic needs to change. You have to stop thinking like Koreans and broaden your sights.”

“You have a lot of experience from the international side of the fence,” he agreed.

“That’s a lot of change, and a lot of culture shock. You are still going to need them, but they need you just as much.”

He again nodded, his mind mulling over her words.

“I’ve been told that Jimin and I are a lot alike…”

He burst into laughter. “Yes. Very much.”

“Okay, so… if I had known you for this long, and worked every day with you, and gone through all of the hardships with you… and you didn’t feel like you could talk to me about your troubles after all of that… I would be heartbroken. He loves you, Gukkie. I can probably imagine that he lost his temper and then didn’t want to talk to you…”

“That is exactly what happened,” he laughed. “He told me to leave him alone and not to call him. Then I got lost in the rain and had to call him.”

She giggled at him. “I bet that was a sight.”

He nodded. “Thank you, Noona.”

“Anytime,” she looked up at the mountain as they reached the parking lot. “This trail is 12.6 kilometers and goes off of the paved walking trail a few times,” she kicked her legs out and loosened up her arms. “My best time is one hour and ten minutes, but I was pissed off and my adrenaline was racing.”

“Let’s just jog,” he suggested with a smile.

#

Jimin was on the prowl. His vocals were finished, photo shoots were over for the day, and the rappers were finishing up their music. He had nothing left to do and every time there was a single moment of boredom, all he could think about was MinYeon.

He knew his hyung was in love with her, but he also knew that she did not reciprocate his affections. That didn’t excuse the thoughts running through his head at that moment.

He couldn’t take it a moment longer. Sure, he could call her, but he knew how that would end. The last thing he wanted to do was hurt YoonGi like that. So, he would just do what he always did and go hang out in UN Village and find a cute companion for the next few hours.

After the fight he had with JeongGug, he felt like an uplifting atmosphere would be best, so he called one of his high-school friends and met him at the Grand Hyatt.

“Hey bro,” he grinned as they hugged briefly.

“Hey. Thanks for calling me, I was doomed to another boring Saturday night,” HongJoon answered.

“It’s cool. I needed to get out too,” he pressed the elevator button to go up to J.J Mahoney’s party bar.

“So… we on the prowl tonight?”

“Always,” he smirked.

“Who are you tonight?”

“Um…” he rolled his eyes around. “Architect Major at SNU.”

“How do you just come up with this shit?” he laughed.

“It’s a gift,” he nodded. “You can be my roommate’s cousin.”

“Fine.”

They stepped off of the elevator and walked into the bar to see that it was fairly busy. They ordered their drinks and walked to a table to take an initial glance around the bar.

“Any potential?” HongJoon purred as Jimin froze and threw his head back with a sigh. “What is it?”

“Fuck my life,” he growled.

HongJoon looked through the crowd to find a group at a table. They seemed to be part of the college crowd, except for one immensely beautiful woman in the middle. Her hair looked as soft as silk and her skin was milky white. She had on a tight, black knit tank dress accessorized with pink Chanel jewelry and handbag. “That… is a Goddess.”

“Mmm hmm,” Jimin tossed back his drink.

MinYeon smiled politely at a joke that really wasn’t funny as a man from nowhere slid in beside her and began a conversation. She rolled her eyes toward her classmates and waited.

“We don’t know him,” one whispered.

“You are… extremely beautiful,” the strange man slid his arm around her and rested his hand on her waist.

Jimin watched from across the room as she pulled his hand off of her and slipped away. He then frowned as he pulled out his phone and dialed. He again watched as MinYeon smiled while answering.

“Yeobosayo?”

“Where are you?”

She raised her eyebrows and turned away from the table. “Why is that your business?”

He sighed before rolling his eyes. “You sound like you’re at a bar.”

“I’m out with my peer group,” she offered a tight smile. “It’s… so much fun,” she added sarcastically.

“Meet me on the dance floor.”

“What?” she whipped her head up and immediately met his eyes, bursting into a bright grin. Without another word, she dropped her phone back into her purse. “HyeonWoo-ssi, would you mind watching our drinks while we dance?”

She grabbed the hands of SeoYeun and DaEun and pulled them toward the dance floor.

“Of course not,” he smiled as he watched the women walk off.

Jimin watched closely as MinYeon moved with the rhythm of the music, her hips swaying as she moved her arms in time. He swallowed hard as he walked up behind her and placed his hands on her hips.

“It’s about time you joined me,” she spoke over her shoulder without missing a step.

“I thought so,” he hovered over her, his body pushing against her tiny frame.

“Jimin-ah,” she breathed. “Behave.”

“I’ll try,” he wrapped his arms around her. “You make it awfully difficult though.”

“I’d hate to make your life difficult,” she turned to face him.

“I’ll deal with it,” he looked down into her eyes. “Thirsty?”

“Parched,” she smirked at him, the double entendre causing them both to lick their lips as they eyed one another like prey.

“I came here tonight to get you out of my mind. What the fuck am I supposed to do now?”

“Dance with me,” she pressed her body against his.

“Wow. Looks like MinYeon-ssi found a new friend,” SeoYeun giggled into DaEun’s ear.

“Wow. We should leave before the building burns down from their combined hotness.”

“Right?”

“Should we… check on her? At least… meet the hot guy dancing up on her?”

“It would be polite,” they agreed.

“MinYeon-ssi!”

She grinned as she turned around to them.

“Let’s have another round!”

“Can my friend join us? I’m sure he’d be happy to buy a round!”

Jimin burst into laughter. “Of course I will!”

She took his hand and bit her lip before looking up at him. “Come meet my dongsaengs.”

“Okay,” he glanced over at HongJoon and nodded toward the table.

They two staggered into her apartment for the second time in less than a week and collapsed onto her sofa. She pulled off her shoes and dropped them onto the floor as he pulled her into his arms and rested his cheek atop her head.

“That was fun,” he slurred.

“Sometimes it’s nice to just have fun. You don’t need to hunt every time you go out,” she smiled against his chest.

“I didn’t need to hunt tonight, my prey walked right up to me,” he teased her.

She slowly looked up at him. “And not so much as a nibble from my predator.”

“MinYeon-ah…” he whispered. “Why does fate keep trying to push us together?”

“I wish I knew,” she brushed her fingertips across his chest, feeling the tight, defined muscles under the starched cotton of his shirt. Her heart pounded against her chest as she read his eyes.

“Why couldn’t you pick me first?” he clamped his eyes shut and pulled her close to him.

“I’m sorry,” she murmured. She knew he was struggling. Friends were everything to the both of them, for they had only a few true ones. The last thing either of them wanted to do was hurt one of them, and this… would hurt YoonGi twice as badly.

“I need to go before…”

“Okay,” she pushed away from him and walked off to her room, sliding the door behind her.

He balled up his fists and clamped his eyes shut for a moment before taking a heavy breath and leaving.

#

YoonGi lay back on the sofa in his studio and stared up at the ceiling. He held his phone above his face, staring at a photo of MinYeon before again dropping it onto his stomach. She must be really busy if she hadn’t answered his text in over two hours. He only hoped she was in the studio and not out with someone else—not him.

Since the day she called him Oppa, he had been on edge. He wanted to know if she meant it, or if it was a slip from her drunken lips. This sea of limbo he was floating in was driving him crazy.

His phone buzzed as he quickly picked it up. She was calling him. His eyes widened as he sat up and answered. “Yeobosayo.”

“Hi. I got your text. I was in the SNU auditorium and they turn their WiFi off during performances to cut down on rude phone calls interrupting the cast.”

“That’s actually a good idea,” he laughed. “So… I have the next four days off before the Lotte Concert and three of my oldest members want to hang out with you.”

“Wae?”

“NamJoon, Jinhyung, and Hobi want to get to know you. Actually, Hobi talks about you nonstop. I honestly thought he was going to beat me to asking you out.”

She raised her eyebrows and listened to him rattle on nervously. “Are you okay?”

“Why wouldn’t I be?”

“You seem nervous.”

“I am. My best friends, my brothers, want to meet you and get to know you. They want to help us out once you’ve gone completely public.”

“Ah,” she smiled. “Okay. It was going to be a mask night in, but…”

“I’ll bring masks. We need to take care of our skin too.”

“Idols,” she giggled. “Why not? I’m home. I’ll probably hop in the shower quickly and wash my face.”

“I’ll bring food, beer, soju, and a movie to watch. And extra masks.”

“I’ll see you in a bit,” she giggled before ending the call.

He then immediately switched over to group chat and notified the three eldest members, other than himself, that they were going to a facial night at MinYeon’s.

She opened the door wearing her hair in a messy bun, a pair of slashed acid washed leggings, and a black t-shirt with the definition of ‘fuck’ on it.

“Nice,” YoonGi smirked as the others tried to read the English.

“Fuck can be used in many ways and is probably the only fucking word that can be put every fuckingwhere and still make fucking sense. Fuckers,” SeokJin burst out laughing after reading the shirt.

“That’s why you two are together,” HoSeok raised his eyebrows.

YoonGi cleared his throat as MinYeon simply laughed.

“So, what movie are we watching?” she looked around at all of the bags.

“Midnight Sun,” NamJoon answered.

“Oh cool, I like Bella Thorne,” she showed him to the television as the others set out food and drinks.

“She is so gorgeous,” SeokJin mumbled to YoonGi.

“I know,” he grinned.

“I don’t think we’ve formally met,” she bowed to SeokJin. “I’m Kim MinYeon.”

“Kim SeokJin,” he smiled. “We were asleep when you stayed over,” he laughed.

“Sorry,” she looked away.

“You’re fine. You didn’t wake us up, so…”

“Us?”

“My girlfriend was with me, Park MiHyeon.”

“Hannah? She was my brother’s manager and now she’s writing songs?”

“Yes,” he grinned proudly.

“I’d like to work with her. I’ve actually been talking to her brother Justin for some time now. Small world.”

“I guess so.”

“Soju?” YoonGi stepped between them and handed her a glass.

“Thank you,” she flashed her eyes up at him.

He winked at her before walking off to grab the food.

They had all settled in to watch the movie, were eating, and deciding which face masks they were going to use when HoSeok answered his phone. “Yeobosayo? We’re having a hyung night… and you’re a maknae,” he answered plainly. “You know how to make ramen. Yes. Yes. Ugh,” he dropped the phone. “They want to come over too.”

MinYeon raised her eyebrows and looked around the room. “The only space left is on the floor.”

“They heard you. They want to hang out too. And they’ll bring futons.”

YoonGi threw his head back and sighed. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine,” she laughed. “Tell them to bring their own masks.”

“I’ll send my location… TaeHyung and Jimin have been here before… Okay.” He ended the call and looked around. “We should eat the galbi before JungKook gets here.”

“Yes,” NamJoon dug in as they all followed.

YoonGi paused for a moment. “Jimin’s been here?”

“95-Liner night,” she answered. “I made potato pancakes after. TaeHyung-ie picked him up after.”

He nodded slowly as he and SeokJin met eyes.

By the time the youngest three members showed up, they had just opened and applied their masks. They walked in and immediately began to take photos.

“Stop,” YoonGi admonished them. “Just sit down and watch the movie.”

“Hello,” the three bowed to MinYeon.

“Welcome,” she waved to them.

“Were’s the food?” Jimin looked at the table.

“We bought enough for us,” YoonGi explained. “We weren’t expecting you.”

“I’m on it,” JeongGuk pulled out his phone and began ordering from a delivery app.

“I am really trying to watch this movie,” SeokJin scolded them.

“Sorry, hyung,” they dashed off to the sink to wash their faces and prepare their masks.

YoonGi caught MinYeon biting down on her lips, trying not to laugh.

Everyone eventually calmed down and finished the movie. Every once in a while, MinYeon would glance over to find that Jimin was watching her. YoonGi was so into the movie that he did even notice.

Once it was over, and all faces were nicely masked and serum had been applied, a game of ‘Cards Against Humanity’ was played.

“How do we split up into teams?” JeongGuk asked.

“The three of you are the same age,” YoonGi pointed to MinYeon, Jimin, and TaeHyung.

“True” they turned to one another.

“What months?” TaeHyung asked.

“October 13th,” MinYeon answered.

“October 13th?” Jimin looked surprised. “The exact same day? That’s my birthday!”

“We are twins!” the two burst out before hugging tightly.

“That’s quite a bond,” SeokJin warned YoonGi.

“Ne,” he sighed.

“Okay, okay… what time?” she asked Jimin.

“Six in the evening.”

“Six in the morning. I’m exactly twelve hours older.”

“So you’re noona?” he quipped as she quieted.

“December 30th,” TaeHyung butted in. “You’re definitely noona,” he grinned.

They all burst into whooping as they high-fived one another.

“Aish,” YoonGi complained. “This can’t be good at all.”

“You suggested it, hyung,” HoSeok mumbled.

“If we’re going by age, Hobi and I are 94 liners,” NamJoon suggested.

“Two, three, and three?” SeokJin glanced around the room. “Sounds good.”

“Okay, we need to refill our drinks before we do this,” MinYeon poured glasses of soju for her teammates.

“I don’t drink...” TaeHyung began to protest.

“That’s fine, just dilute it,” she reached for the Sprite in front of HoSeok and poured a little into TaeHyung’s glass. “See?”

He took a sip before smacking his lips and then smiling. “Daebak!”

“Sorry, HoSeok-ssi!” she dashed off to the refrigerator and brought him back a new drink.

“Thank you,” he grinned at her, not upset in the least.

“And hana... dul... ses...” Jimin counted off as the three tipped their heads back.

“I think we’re all staying here tonight,” JeongGuk grinned before tipping his head back as well.

Cards were dealt and a black card placed on the table.

“Is this the Kpop edition?” MinYeon giggled.

“Ne,” SeokJin grinned.

“Why was Donghae’s butt sore?” she fell back into giggles.

Jimin laughed as he read over their team’s choices.

TaeHyung pointed to one.

“What about that one?” she whispered.

“That one,” Jimin pointed.

She nodded and handed the card to SeokJin.

“Okay… Why is Donghae’s butt sore? Korean barbeque,” he made a face. “No. Why is Donghae’s butt sore?” he flipped over the second card. “Because of TWOOOOO PEEEEEEE EMMMMMMM,” he burst into laughter.

The 95 Liners gave one another high-fives.

“That was lame,” Hoseok argued.

“A win nonetheless,” Jimin chuckled.

MinYeon pulled a black card and read it. “Buy *blank* on iTunes.”

YoonGi immediately handed her a card as NamJoon and Hoseok discussed their options. They handed her a card, which she took and divided between Jimin and TaeHyung.

Jimin flipped his over. “Buy ‘Tragic Ballads by Under Rated, Over Talented Idols’ on iTunes,” he smirked.

TaeHyung followed. “Buy ‘Culturally Accepted Offensive Racism’ on iTunes,” bursting into laughter before he was finished.

“Yes,” YoonGi nodded stoically.

It was nearly three in the morning when they decided they were all too drunk and too tired to go back to the dorm. SeokJin and NamJoon stole one of the futons, Ho-Seok and Tae-Hyung stole the sofa, and Jimin and JeongGuk had the second futon.

“If you need to use the bathroom, it’s through the bedroom. Please remember to close the door behind you,” YoonGi pleaded for them to use their manners.

“So you’re sleeping in there?” Jimin asked him.

“My sofa is occupied,” he turned to HoSeok and TaeHyung. “Comfy isn’t it?”

“Very,” HoSeok yawned.

“Nng,” TaeHyung followed.

“The bedroom door will be closed but unlocked…”

“So no love for Min Suga tonight,” Jimin grinned. “Too bad... that definitely wouldn’t stop me.”

“I will kill you if you don’t close your mouth.”

Everyone quieted as he turned to walk into the bedroom and slid the door behind him.

“Your mouth doesn’t stop when you’re drunk,” Hoseok complained as Jimin lay back and sighed.

“I’ll shut up now.”

“Good idea,” TaeHyung hissed.

“You’re so mean,” MinYeon hissed at YoonGi.

“I have to be, they’d walk all over me if I wasn’t,” he whipped his shirt over his head and threw it onto the floor before unbuttoning his jeans.

She raised her eyebrows as she watched him.

“Habits,” he smirked as he slid into bed in his black boxer briefs.

She cocked her eyebrow before pulling off her t-shirt to reveal a camisole and dropped her leggings to find his favorite pair of pink, lacy panties.

He pursed his lips tightly to keep from moaning as she slid in next to him and turned off the light.

She rolled over and waited as he spooned up behind her.

“Goodnight,” he kissed her shoulder.

“Goodnight,” she pushed her hips back into him.

He breathed heavily against her ear. It was a moment later that he snaked his fingers across her exposed belly.

“Ah,” she breathed. She then pushed her hips into him again. Her weakness. Physical contact. She didn’t want to be rude. She didn’t want to do this with an apartment full of his friends. She certainly didn’t want to do it with Jimin lying ten feet away from her door.

His response was to push up against her and suck her ear into his mouth. She raised her hand up to play with his hair as their hips moved together, rubbing and teasing one another until their arousal was nearly uncontrollable.

“Oppa,” she whispered.

“There’s no designated driver tonight,” he whispered, his lips against her ear. “Please aegi-ya,” he slid his hand down, under the band of her panties. She bit down on her tongue and threw her head back, enjoying his touch.

She turned her head to catch his lips as the door slid open and caused them to freeze. Neither moved a muscle as JeongGuk staggered to the bathroom and closed the door behind him. She covered her mouth to keep from laughing as he looked up at the door and waited. The toilet flushed. The water ran. The door opened. He then walked out and closed the door behind him.

He waited with a grin on his face as he heard movement for a few more minutes. It was then quiet again.

“We’re good,” he whispered before moving his hand up to cup her breast from under her camisole. She again bit down on her tongue as she slid her hand back to grope his solid erection.

He quickly pushed down his briefs and she took quick care to throw off her panties. He then wrapped his hand around the inside of her thigh and lifted it as he slid inside her from behind.

They kept as quiet as they could, considering the incredible frenzy of their lovemaking. She moved her head and arched her back as he continued his assault, his hips slapping against the back of hers.

She bit down harder on her tongue, the pain searing as her body begged for release. He moved his hand between her legs and helped her along, taking mere seconds until her body exploded. The impact of her walls clamping down on him was all he needed to follow her into oblivion.

They quietly caught their breath as he wrapped his arms around her, kissing her shoulder, neck, and ear repeatedly. She then turned to kiss him once again, but he pulled away.

“I taste blood,” he whispered.

“I had to work really hard to keep quiet,” she kissed him again.

“I’m so sorry,” he cupped her face in his hands.

“Don’t be,” she pushed away to grab her panties and scamper off to the bathroom. He arrived a bit later, back in his boxers and her ‘fuck’ shirt and turned on the light to look at her tongue.

“I’m fine,” she assured him.

“Let me see,” he waited.

She opened her mouth and showed him her tongue, which was still bleeding.

“I am sorry,” he pulled her into his arms.

“I’m fine,” she kissed his neck. “I could never be sorry for being with you.” She pulled back to smile at him, only to find the most serious look on his face she had ever seen.

“Yeon-ie,” he looked into her eyes, his voice leaving him.

“We’re both drunk,” she placed her finger over his mouth, turning out the light and leading him back into her bedroom. She then pulled him through the sliding glass door and out onto the balcony to talk.

“Does that mean you say things when you’re drunk that you don’t mean?”

“It means that I say too much when I’m drunk,” she sighed.

He nodded his head. He understood her completely. He wasn’t supposed to have a girlfriend, and he knew by continuing a relationship with her he was putting her in danger. He shouldn’t be in love with her, but he was.

She told him in the beginning that she didn’t want a boyfriend. Her education and music come before any man, but here he was, sleeping in her bed yet again. Even then, he wondered if he had been her first choice…

“Maybe we should both say the things we’re not supposed to say just this one time, while we’re dunk?”

She shook her head and turned away. “I don’t know about you, but I always tell you exactly what I think.”

“Are you really seeing someone else?”

She nodded her head silently.

“I don’t get it. How can you look at me like that, and make love to me like that, and turn around and do the same with another guy?”

“Because sometimes sex is just sex,” she crossed her arms. “And that back there, that was fucking. Please don’t put more into it.”

“Are you that afraid of being with me?”

She looked up at him, silent tears falling down her cheeks. “Every time I see you, I feel like you’re trying to pull me closer.”

“Why is that so scary?”

“The more I give you, the more you take! When will it be enough?”

He sighed and looked away.

“I’ve told you about Jordan. You know...”

He rolled his eyes around in thought. “You’re scared... he found you.”

She crossed her arms and looked out over the balcony.

“The unknown numbers... they’re him?”

“I don’t know how he could find me, but he says he will. I want to be able to relax for the first time in four years. I want to be able to be with someone without constantly looking over my shoulder. I know from experience that I’m clingy and intense and… that scares men. I’ve learned not to get too attached…”

He cut her off with a long, deep kiss. “I love everything about you. I want to be all in. I want you and everything that comes with it. I love you.”

“What?!”

“Please be mine,” he wrapped his arms around her and kissed her hair. “I don’t want anyone else but you.”

“I’ve never been in love before. I’ve never even said that word in a romantic way.”

“Neither have I. Let’s do it together.”

She wrapped her arms tightly around him and sighed.

“Please stop seeing other guys.”

“What…” her eyes widened as she pulled away. “I can’t… I can’t…” She rolled her eyes. “Please give me time. I need to wrap my brain around this. I haven’t even started classes yet, and then you’ll be touring in September…”

“Every time I see you smile at a text someone else sends, or you tell me you’re busy, or I see a photo of you with other men on Insta… I feel like I’m punishing myself.”

“I’m sorry,” she hugged him.

He kissed her hair one last time. “Let’s go to sleep.”

#

“Are they awake?” JeongGuk whispered at the door.

“I don’t hear anything,” TaeHyung pressed his ear against the door.

“It’s Suga-hyung, they’re still asleep,” Jimin spoke, not whispering at all.

YoonGi let out a perturbed sigh from under the duvet, where he lay with his head on MinYeon’s abdomen. She was, as usual, being used as his pillow as she lay on her back with her arm draped across her eyes, still asleep.

The door slowly slid open as the three youngest members peeked in to look around. They saw their hyung’s clothes piled on the floor next to the bed and a huge lump in the center of it, MinYeon’s head and arm the only things visibly peeking out.

“What do we do?” JeongGuk’s eyes widened.

“He isn’t the easiest to wake up after he’s been drinking,” TaeHyung mumbled.

“He’s isn’t easy to wake up any day,” Jimin bit his lip.

“What are you three doing?” they jumped out of their skin as HoSeok stood behind them while crossing his arms.

“Oh my God,” YoonGi’s voice grumbled from under the duvet.

“Great job,” HoSeok glared at the maknae line.

“Mmm,” MinYeon opened her eyes and tried to stretch out her arms and legs.

“Pillows aren’t supposed to move,” he grumbled before pulling her under the duvet with him, taking her by surprise as she let out a yelp.

“I don’t think they’re coming out any time soon,” HoSeok smirked before walking off to the bathroom.

The front door opened, gaining everyone’s attention as SeokJin announced that he and NamJoon had brought hangover stew and porridge.

From under the duvet, MinYeon and YoonGi opened their eyes and stared at one another.

“I’ll distract them. You get dressed.”

She nodded her head as he slipped out of bed and pulled his jeans on before pushing everyone out of the room and closing the door.

“She must be hungry,” SeokJin quipped as everyone sniggered.

She opened the door and joined them soon after, wearing a pair of red plaid pajama bottoms that were baggy on her, and a black Kendrick Lamar hoodie. She looked up to see TaeHyung starting at her, his mouth agape. “Good morning,” she spoke slowly.

YoonGi rolled his eyes. “He’s in charge of laundry at the dorm. He knows those are mine.”

“Ah,” she giggled. “Yeah… he’s over here a lot.”

“We know,” NamJoon and HoSeok spoke at the same time.

Her phone rang from the bedroom and she turned to dash off to answer it. “Yeobosayo?”

“What is wrong with you guys? You weren’t this embarrassing last night completely sober!” he hissed at his band members.

“I heard you last night,” Jimin answered.

“What?”

“You snuck out to the balcony?” JeongGuk raised his eyebrows.

“No…” he froze, choosing his words carefully. “We went out to the balcony to talk, we didn’t want to wake any of you up.”

“What could you possibly talk about as drunk as you were?” NamJoon asked.

He took in a deep breath and let it out. “Us. Together. Committed.”

There was silence. Jimin clenched his jaw shut and looked away.

“So… you… still aren’t?” TaeHyung asked, his eyes flashing to Jimin.

“I told you all before, it’s complicated,” he whispered. “We talked about it last night.”

They talked about it, yet he didn’t tell them that a decision had been made. What the hell was MinYeon doing?

She returned a few moments later and headed straight for a container of stew.

“Is everything all right?” YoonGi asked her.

“Yes. Apparently, I’m leaving later tonight for Guri with my brother. We’re spending the night and bringing Appa and Eomma back. Then we’re taking them to the festival.”

“Are you still coming both nights?”

“I think so,” she nodded. “And I still have class, so… oh shit. They’re going to have to stay here.”

“I know three maknae who would be more than happy to clean up,” HoSeok smiled at her.

“What?” JeongGuk looked over at him.

“You invited yourselves last night,” SeokJin reminded them.

“It’s okay,” she waved her hands. “This is my place and you’re guests…”

“They are definitely helping,” YoonGi informed her.

She pursed her lips and sighed before digging into her stew. She froze as the hot, salty liquid burned the wound on her tongue. YoonGi immediately handed her a cup of water, guilt eating him up at the reason for her pain. “I’m okay,” she whispered.

Once the trash from the night before had been cleaned, and the living room swept, mopped, and dusted, everyone but YoonGi headed home. They escorted them out the door before walking off to the bed to collapse.

“I started the first load of laundry,” he informed her. “Do I need to hide my stuff or take it home?”

“Do you have that much here?” she turned onto her side and met his eyes.

“It’s growing,” he answered honestly. “Can I ask you a question?”

“That sounds like a ‘ChanYeol’ question.”

“I think I have the right to know about this one.”

She searched his eyes before answering. “Yes.”

He let out a huff, seemingly unwilling to proceed. He worked up the courage to ask the question he didn’t want to know but needed to. “We aren’t exactly being… careful.”

“You aren’t being careful,” she smirked. “I’m on birth control.”

He nodded. “Is he being carful?”

“All but one time,” she answered truthfully.

“I take it he’s clean?”

“Are there THAT many Idols with diseases?”

“Probably not,” he bit his lip. “And you?”

“Believe it or not, I have never been this careless,” she rolled onto her back and sighed. “We just… usually… get caught up in the moment.”

“How dependable is your birth control?”

“It’s the pill. It’s not foolproof, but it’s the strongest thing I can get in Korea. It was so much better in the States,” she sighed. “There were patches and injections and implants… those are all illegal here.”

He played with his ear as he stared up into the ceiling.

“What is it?”

He pulled up to his side and looked down at her. “I asked you to commit last night and I’m leaving for Saipan in a week. We’ll be shooting there for a week or so and when we get back, we go right back recording and video shoots for our next comeback.”

“You just finished promoting for this comeback.”

“I know,” he wrapped a strand of her hair around his finger. “The next comeback happens right before we leave for our world tour. We have most of the new songs written, except mine. I’m procrastinating.”

“So, it will be like not having a boyfriend… like I wanted from the beginning,” she laughed.

“Ah,” he scrunched his face up. “I don’t want you to have to be here alone, waiting for me.”

“I won’t be alone. I have class and a list of companies who want to work with me right now. Believe it or not, before you came along, I pretty much lived in my studio.”

“I completely understand,” he nodded. “That’s why… I don’t want an answer until we get back in October.”

“I’m good with that.”

“Really?”

“As long as you’re good with me… keeping myself from getting… bored.”

“Aish, seriously? Why did you have to go there?”

“Sometimes sex is just sex,” she argued with him.

“Unless it’s with you,” he smirked. “It’s never boring with you.”

“You’re crazy.”

“I’m crazy and selfish and want you all to myself.”

She leaned up to kiss him as he slipped his leg between hers.

“Mmm,” she pushed him back. “Back to the subject of your song. What’s the problem?”

“Each of the rappers has a feature. I can’t decide what I want to do. Every time I write a solo, I feel like it’s the best I’ve ever done. And now I have to write another, and it scares the shit out of me that no one will like it.”

She rolled her eyes around in thought. “Why don’t you do something you haven’t done before then?”

“What’s that?”

“Sing.”

He stared at her, his mind whirling. “I’m a rapper.”

“You’re an idol.”

“Like… for the entire song? I’ve never done that.”

“You can still rap too. Like what we did on ‘Jenga’ but with only you.”

“My voice…”

“I like your voice.”

“That because I’m singing to you, not to millions of ARMY.”

She smiled at him. “Then pretend that ARMY is me. Sing to me,” she whispered.

His mouth dropped open as he thought it over. “Slow Rabbit and I have worked on a song… it was supposed to be for the group.”

“So?”

“Write with me,” he smiled as he pushed a strand of hair over her ear. “It’s supposed to be about love anyway.”

“Won’t that jinx it?” she smirked.

“Not if it’s about stagnant, used up love.”

“Wae?” she laughed.

“You can sing backup too.”

“I haven’t even heard the song yet.”

“It’s bare bones. We can use it and make it ours.”

“Seriously?”

“Snub the guys waiting in line to work with you and work with me instead,” he bit his lip and nodded his head back arrogantly.

“Put me on your schedule, Suga,” she grinned.

“You don’t get to call me that,” he ran his nose up hers.

“Oh?” her breath caught in her throat as he ran his fingers down her side, brushing over her hip before sliding them under his hoodie that she wore.

“You know what I want to hear,” he whispered.

“No…”

“You can do it,” he licked his lips and smiled at her.

“I can’t…”

“Sure you can… just when we’re together,” he coaxed her.

She pouted before pushing him back, rolling him over to straddle him.

“Ooh!” he grinned. “My dominant woman,” he teased her.

She stared into his eyes for a long moment before throwing his hands over his head and pinning him down. She then leaned down and brushed her lips across his ear. “Oppa.”

“Thank you!” he pushed her off and jumped up from the bed.

“Where are you going?!”

“The laundry won’t do itself!”

“You are a pain in the ass!” she accused as his laughter filled the entire flat.

#

She opened the door to let her brother in. “I’m almost ready,” she kissed his cheek before dashing off to finish packing.

He looked around her flat, a surprised smile on his face. “Wow, you cleaned.”

“Mmm, hmm,” she avoided answering. Her apartment had been cleaner than ever since YoonGi visited so much because he would clean it while she was in the studio.

“I haven’t seen your studio yet.”

“Go on!” she called out before stuffing a makeup bag into her overnighter.

He opened the door and stepped in; his eyes wide as it suddenly dawned on him: his little sister was a professional producer. “This is awesome, Yeonnie!”

“I know!” she giggled.

He ran his fingers down the length of the soundboard as he studied all of the speakers, equipment, keyboards… down to the screen savers that read “KMY” in bold, fuchsia letters. He then turned his head to the guitar rack that held one sunset blue Yamaha FG820 Dreadnought Acoustic, one gold Gibson Les Paul Tribute 2018 - Solid Body Electric, and one red Epiphone Limited Edition 1966 G-400 PRO Electric. “Where’s the Fender I bought you for graduation?”

She stuck her head in and frowned. “Stolen in LA.”

“That was a $1000 guitar!”

“I am very well aware of that,” she spat. “My ex-boyfriend was gathering his shit and I could no longer stand the sight of him, so I left. He walked off with my favorite guitar.”

“Wait, you had a boyfriend?”

“Yes,” she answered slowly. “I had a few.”

He raised his eyebrows as he glared at her. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Because I knew you’d act exactly like you’re acting right now and you were too far away to figure it out, so I just kept quiet.”

He sighed. “Are you lying to me now then?”

“No. I’ve told you the absolute truth,” she bit her lip. “I am sort of dating men.”

“Sort of?”

“Can we talk about it on the way home?”

“I’d love to,” he followed her out.

Once in the car, and through the traffic of the city, MinSeok turned down the music and waited. “So?”

“So…” she rested her head against the seat and sighed. “I know you’ve figured it out. You’re one of the smartest people I know.”

“ChanYeol and YoonGi?”

“They know about one another.”

“Really?”

“Channie thinks it’s a competition and YoonGi-ya wants me all to himself.”

“Understandable.”

“When we started dating, I made it perfectly clear to both that I did not want a boyfriend, my education comes first, and my music was a close second. Now, YoonGi wants to commit and is giving me until he comes back from tour in October to make my decision.”

“Let me guess, Channie’s fine with no commitment.”

“Completely,” she smirked. “He and I meet up late at night to run in the park or karaoke. YoonGi has taken me to several places, usually late at night or in a private room. We’re being careful, but it can all blow up at any moment.”

“How do you feel about that?”

“It scares me to death, just like posting a photo of us on the SM Insta after the Lotte Concert scares me to death. I know it will be different, being your sister vs a girlfriend, but… damn. There are crazy people out there.”

“There are,” he agreed. “What about the rest of Bangtan?”

“They’re great,” she laughed. “I guess J-Hope liked me too, but YoonGi-ya beat him to me. Jimin and TaeHyung and I have a group chat now. They’ve been introducing me to other 95-Liners,” she decided not to even bring up the subject of Jimin. That can of worms was best left for another day. “Hobi’s offered to let us use a flat he keeps for his family when they visit to sneak off for dates, the maknae are in awe of their hyung having a woman around… And Jin’s girlfriend…”

“Hannah’s my former manager,” he nodded. “You’ve gotten close to his entire group?”

“We had facials and watched a movie here just last night,” she smirked.

“I think you’ve already made up your mind,” he shook his head.

She bit her lip and looked out the window. “Perhaps.”

“And how do you feel about that?”

She licked her lip and rolled her eyes around the car. “I had a really bad experience before I moved back home.”

“Bad experience?”

She closed her eyes for a moment. “My freshman year, I met a guy named Jordan. We hit it off immediately and everything seemed to click. We liked the same music, the same designers, the same artists... when it stopped clicking, things got weird.”

“Weird?”

“He was insanely obsessive. He wanted me to ask him before leaving, even if I was going to class or work. When he found out I worked a Big Bang video, he lost his shit.”

“You worked with BigBang?”

“I met JiYong-oppa at KCon in 2014. Then, I helped translate on the set of ‘Loser.’ That was in April of 2015. He saw a picture of me with JiYong and Seung-hyun...”

“You know their given names too?”

“I am never going to get this story out if you keep interrupting me.”

“Aish,” he swore as he ran his fingers through his hair.

“So yes, I’m friends with G Dragon and T.O.P. We’ve kept in touch. “

“They’re older than me, Yeonnie...”

“Anyway, one day I was skipping class and hanging out at his place. He went to grab some food and I came across a picture of me. It was taken across the street from the piercing salon I worked at my freshman year.”

“I have so many questions...” he mumbled under his breath.

She ignored him and continued. “I started digging and found a lot of photos of me. The reason we got along so well in the beginning was because he was freaking stalking me. I confronted him when he returned and he lost his mind. He hit me...” she stared out the window.

“Excuse me?! Please tell me you defended yourself!”

“I broke his nose.”

“Good girl,” he relaxed.

“I gathered my things and left. We had mutual friends who believed his bullshit lies over my story. He has them so snowed over. They kept telling me it was my fault and that I should beg for his forgiveness.”

“That’s why you changed your number when you moved back.”

“He found me on Twitter, so I blocked him. He messaged me on Insta. I had three other boyfriends after him and he still kept showing up and asking to get back together. He would leave really long voicemails and cry...” she shook her head.

“What about the punk who stole your guitar?”

“That was Jase. He was an asshole on a normal day, but he got really tired of Jordan showing up everywhere. He thought I was cheating on him and dumped me with a very expensive apartment. I had to ride out the lease on my own.”

“That’s why you didn’t come home until May,” he sighed, wishing his sister would confide in him more.

She nodded her head.

“A lot of your problems could have been avoided if you would have called me.”

“You won’t always be there to fix my problems, Oppa.”

He sighed as he looked away. He was 28 years old and would be enlisting in the South Korean Army soon. “You’re my little sister. It’s my job to take care of you no matter where I am.”

“It’s over.”

“Is this why you refuse to choose?”

“Not completely. I tend to screw everything up one way or another.”

“Jordan was not your fault. He sounds mentally unstable. Jase just sounds like an ass.”

She watched her brother as he drove.

“I’d be more worried if you were confident that everything was going to work out.”

“So would I,” she mumbled. “I’m fairly sure ChanYeol will be fine. I mean… he’s a pretty good friend too.”

“He will bounce back quickly. He always does.”

She cocked her eyebrow before bursting into laughter. “Why doesn’t that surprise me?”

“It shouldn’t. He has everyone fooled by those dimples and big brown eyes. He may look like a boy, but he is definitely a lady’s man.”

She giggled. “Yeah.”

“So… you and Channie are over?”

“Probably. Maybe. I don’t know. There are a few bonuses, though.”

“Dare I ask?”

“It’s just things like… YoonGi doesn’t do karaoke or go for hikes or things like that. We just stay in and watch television or mess around with each other’s music or work separately and just enjoy being in the same building. Channie and I have gone for jogs at four in the morning,” she smirked.

“When do you get any sleep, exactly?”

“When they’re busy with work,” she smirked.

“When do you plan to tell them?”

“In October like he asked,” she smirked. “There’s no other time to talk about it. The festival isn’t the right time. I’ll just have to figure it out.”

“Yeah…”

True to form, as soon as they pulled up to their house, MinYeon pulled out her camera and began filming. “Annyeong chingu! Today my older brother and I are visiting our parents! Say hello to Mommy Kim and Daddy Kim!”

“Annyeong chingu!” her mother waved excitedly before giving her a hug. “I missed you so much!”

“I missed you too, Eomma,” they reunited as the men hugged briefly.

“Say hi, Appa!”

“Annyeong,” he waved as the women giggled.

“And while we’re at it…”

“Anneyeong,” MinSeok waved.

“We are going to be going to one of my favorite restaurants that serves homemade, savory food and it’s called Parc.”

“We called ahead and will have a table waiting,” her mother informed her in English.

“Yay!” she turned back to the car. “Let’s go, I’m withering away!”

“Are you eating well, Min-ah?” her mother asked as they climbed into the car.

“I am, Mommy. I make a lot of food at home.”

“She eats handfuls of nuts when she’s hungry,” MinSeok tattled on her as she glared at him in the rearview mirror.

“I will send you home with kimchi.”

“Thank you, Mommy,” she sighed.

They were seated at the restaurant and were immediately served six side dishes of crumbly tofu with spinach, squid and filefish salad, seasoned perilla leaves, cabbage salad with tomato, chilled cucumber soup, and three types of salted, preserved seafood.

They relaxed and enjoyed a meal as a family, even though they were being recorded. MinYeon made sure to ask her brother and father questions about the food and what they liked and didn’t like. Once all of the foods had been tried, she turned the camera off and enjoyed her time with her family.

Once they returned to her familial home, she went to her old room and sat down with her phone in her hand. She bit the inside of her cheek and searched BTS’ tour schedule for August, September, and October. She then looked up her birthday to find that they would be in London on that day. She lay back on her futon and sighed as ideas whirled through her mind.

As if on cue, she received an appointment request from ‘Genius Lab’ to collaborate on a song with ‘KMY Productions’ on June 24th, June 30th, and July 1st. She grinned as she accepted the appointments and replied with ‘KMY Productions has approved the proposed meeting times.’

Minion_95: We can work together on one condition.

MYG_93: What’s that?

Minion_95: Eomma’s a huge Bangtan fan. I want her to meet the group Friday night.

MYG_93: I thought it would be something hard. Or embarrassing. Or expensive.

Minion_95: That comes later, Oppa.

MYG_93: I can’t wait, Aegi.

#

The first night of the Lotte Family Concert, MinSeok and their parents picked up MinYeon from class and drove straight to the venue. She passed out earplugs to her parents as her brother laughed at her.

“We’re at the end of the catwalk, it’s going to be loud,” she pushed him.

“I know, but I’m not used to being on this side of the microphone.”

“Change is good sometimes,” she nodded as they both laughed.

They took their seats as the show began, MinSeok wearing a hoodie to try to blend in.

“You know it’s the middle of summer, right?” his sister spoke into his ear.

“Shut up,” he pushed against her.

“Diva,” she giggled.

The festival began with Blackpink, a newer girl group, taking the stage. In the middle of their third song, a stage director walked out and stopped them. It was explained that there were technical problems and that some of the concert goers couldn’t get into the venue.

“What the hell?” MinSeok reached for his phone and dialed before pulling it up to his ear.

“What is going on?” their mother asked.

“I’m not sure,” she answered.

“Got it,” he turned to them. “Apparently there are more people trying to get in than there are in the seats. They should have pushed Blackpink back, but they went on. By the time the stagehands got the information, they were already on…”

“And they pulled them off mid-set?” MinYeon cringed. “Wow.”

“I doubt they’ll go back on,” he rolled his eyes. “I hope tomorrow night goes better.”

“Me too,” she mumbled.

“Are we sure this is a good sign? Maybe it means this is all wrong?” their mother began to panic.”

“Eomma,” MinYeon cupped her cheeks. “I will be fine. MinSeok-ie has protected me for long enough. It is time that I take care of myself now.”

“Aish,” their father turned away.

“Appa,” MinSeok placed his hand on his shoulder. “She already has produced chart-topping music. It is only a matter of time before people realize she is my sister. It is better to do things on our terms than to let the internet speculate and go crazy.”

He sighed before nodding his head.

They sat quietly, looking around for a bit.

“Why don’t we go backstage and meet some performers while we wait?” MinSeok suggested.

“Good idea!” MinYeon nodded.

They led their parents to the stage entrance and produced their passes before being escorted back to the greenroom. There, they met the members of BIA4, BtoB, and Sunmi.

“Is that Bangtan?!” their mother squealed as both of the siblings turned toward the door.

“Yes, Eomma. They’ve been waiting to meet you,” she bit her lip and grinned as she made eye contact with Jimin.

He spoke to the other members before they all made their way to them and lined up as if they were giving an interview.

“Dul, ses…” RM spoke as they all bowed to them.

“Hello, we are Bangtan Sonyeondan,” they introduced themselves.

Their mother threw her hand over her mouth in complete surprise and bowed in return as the siblings turned to one another and laughed.

“You must be the beautiful Lee YeonJung-ssi, the famous piano teacher from Guri,” SeokJin flirted with her as they again bowed.

“Wae?!” her eyes widened.

“Are you hitting on my wife?” their father asked as everyone burst into laughter.

“No! Sorry!” SeokJin bowed profusely.

“Eomma, these are Jimin and V. We are all 95-liners,” MinYeon introduced her friends.

“We are twins!” Jimin grinned as they all laughed.

“The same day?!”

“Yes,” MinYeon clapped her hands together. “I’m twelve hours older. We are now very good friends.”

“That makes me happy!” she giggled.

“Your eomma is so cute!” Jimin hugged her. “I love her!”

“Everyone loves Mommy Kim,” she leaned into him.

MinSeok stared at them, watching their casual body language as a smirk formed on his lips. He had so many more questions for his sister…

The other men took turns introducing themselves as YeonJung noticed that her children were standing back. “Don’t you want to speak to them?”

“We know them, Eomma,” MinSeok nodded with a smile. “Some of us better than others,” he mumbled under his breath, receiving an elbow from his sister.

“May I get a picture?” she held up her phone.

“Of course,” RM turned to one of their managers.

Somehow, MinYeon ended up between Suga and Jimin as they posed for a few photos.

“Did I do well?” he whispered, his hand behind her secretly resting lowly on her waist.

“You did,” she purred lowly as he clasped onto her.

“You can’t do that in public.”

“I just did,” she grinned for another photo as Jimin began to chuckle.

“Where are you sitting?”

“Why?”

“So I know where to look for you.”

“I want you to be surprised.”

“Yeon-ah,” he offered an exasperated sigh.

“YoonGi-ya,” she sang back to him.

The photos were over as everyone broke up.

“I’m pretty sure you’re not going to win this one, hyung,” Jimin winked at her before walking off.

“I never do,” he shook his head.

“I beg to differ. You won the living room furniture debate.”

“True.”

“And you changed my shower gel.”

“It had to be done. Me walking into the studio smelling like peaches is a dead giveaway.”

“Are things all right, daughter?”

She turned to see her mother looking between them.

“Min-Suga-ssi and I will be working on a song together, Eomma.”

“Really?” her eyes widened. “When?”

“Soon. Our new album comes out the end of August. I should send you one as a gift,” he grinned at her.

“That would be wonderful! Thank you!” she bowed, completely overwhelmed by the band’s kindness.

They heard music start up signaling that the show had started again as MinYeon glanced over her shoulder at the members of Blackpink. “I guess they’re finished. I hope your set goes a bit smoother.”

“They didn’t even get to their new songs,” he shook his head. “We might have to help them make up for it.”

“Well… have fun,” she winked at him. “I’ll be watching.”

He gave her a little side-eye and smirk as she and her mother rejoined their family to take their seats.

BtoB was in the middle of their set when the Kim family made it back to their seats. When it ended, their mother asked, “Who will we be sitting with tomorrow night?”

“Do you see that white wall there?” MinSeok pointed. “That is where special guests and family members sit.”

“So we will be a target?” his father asked.

“No, there is security and they keep fans away,” he assured them. “There might be other idols and friends attending as well, you might get to meet some more people,” he smiled at his worried parents.

“Why are we so close tonight?”

“Because mom is such a fan of Bangtan, I thought she might like to be close. That’s why we have ear protection too. They put on an energetic show.”

“You are so full of shit,” her brother whined in her ear.

“I haven’t even told him yet, calm down.”

“Ugh. I think I’m more excited than you.”

“It seems so,” she laughed.

Sunmi sang her set, followed by Kim Bum Soo, which their father enjoyed immensely. As soon as his set ended, the crowd began to scream, and the ARMY Bomb light sticks came out. MinYeon rolled her eyes around a moment before reaching into her bag and retrieving four light sticks to pass around.

“Will you be this prepared tomorrow?” MinSeok asked her.

“We’ll all be wearing Xiumin shirts as well,” she informed him.

“Daebak!” he laughed.

The video on the screen began playing with various black and white scenes of the BTS members as they all turned their attention to the stage.

“They’re all so handsome!” their mother clapped her hands together as her children laughed at her.

They rose up out of the stage in a line and sang the song they had debuted at the Billboard Music Awards. The first thing she noticed was that all of the members had headset microphones on except Suga, who held a microphone in his hand. She tilted her head, wondering if the production was still having technical issues.

MinSeok broke into a bright grin. “YoonGi’s looking everywhere but the camera.”

“Yeah…” she smirked. She knew him as a friend, a musician, a writer, a lover, and now she had finally seen him in action as an Idol. She sucked her lip into her mouth as her heart raced in her chest.

The first song ended, and each member took turns speaking to the crowd. First was RM, followed by Suga.

“His mic needs turned up,” MinSeok observed just as Suga turned to the side stage and signaled for his mic to be turned up.

“This should be fun,” she pursed her lips.

The next song began, which was another new one. As Suga began to sing his part, she couldn’t help but hold her breath. He was singing a small part, but it was new for him. He was a rapper, after all.

_I can be your superhero_

_Do not expect too much from me_

_I can be your hero_

Just as he said the words, he met her eyes down at the end of the catwalk and burst into a wide smile, all the while continuing to sing.

_Will this get through to you?_

_I don’t know_

_But I have to do this, Mom_

_Who can it be if it’s not me?_

_You can call me say Anpan_

She continued to watch the song with a bright smile on her face. When it came to a part where Suga was in a dancing showcase with JungKook and Jin, her mind flashed back to the first time he brought her to Bit Hit. He said that the rehearsal room was a painful reminder that he had a new dance to learn. In her heart, she knew it was probably the one he was now performing, and it made her giggle.

Once the song was over, it went dark and the stage was set for yet another of their new songs.

In the middle of this song, there was a microphone prop that Suga was supposed to hold for J-Hope that the stagehands didn’t get to him until it was too late. Both he and RM shot the stage assistants angry glares, but immediately returned to entertaining their fans.

As that song ended, Suga again met her eyes and smiled, the look of relief that it was over in his eyes as he threw his head back and sighed. He knew she saw it, and she knew he would just brush it off and do his job of entertaining his fans.

The stage went dark and another video began, advertising the upcoming sold out world tour before transitioning into a slower song.

“Do you know this song?” her mother clapped her hands together.

“Not this one,” she admitted.

“I will send you the fan chant!” her mom looked down at her phone as she turned to her brother.

He shrugged his shoulders.

As Suga began his rap, they all walked slowly down the catwalk. J-Hope was the first to see her and grinned.

Confetti began to fall as they all waved to their fans while singing. Suga slid into the spot where the Kim family were sitting and although he looked out at his fans behind them, he knew exactly where he was.

That was supposed to have been their last song, but with the technical difficulties and shortened sets, they decided to give the fans more. They played on…

The fact that BTS was performing right in front of them had their mother beside herself. She had her phone out taking video as both of her children giggled at her. Especially when V licked his lips and winked at her.

At the end, there was a special dance break where more dancers joined them on stage and proceeded to perform the most hip rolls that MinYeon had ever seen in one song. Her eyes met Jimin’s as he smiled and licked his lips, causing her to clear her throat and looked away for a moment as the song ended. The rest of the band turned their backs and walked away as Suga stayed before dropping his microphone onto the stage and walking away.

“Diva,” she smirked as the lights again went dark.

The group knelt down and wiped the sweat from their eyes and drank water before giving them the final performance.

Once the song was over, the group waved and spoke to their fans before making their way off stage.

“So what do we do now?” their father asked.

“I have a rehearsal tonight for tomorrow. You can drop me off at SM and take the car for the night,” MinSeok offered.

“Wow, you’re trusting me with your car?” his sister smirked.

“I know where you live,” he glared at her playfully.

Her phone buzzed, causing her to reach into her pocket and pull it out. It was a phone call from YoonGi.

“Suga-ssi,” she stressed in front of her parents.

“We have reservations for dinner. Can you and your family join us?”

“Just a sec,” she put the phone on mute. “We have been invited to dinner with Bangtan,” she turned to her mother.

She nodded her head excitedly as she burst into laughter.

She unmuted the call, “Eomma is a hard yes,” she laughed. “Oppa needs to get to rehearsals though and we only have one car.”

“Just a sec,” it was his turn to mute the phone. “Are they okay with riding in the van with our manager?”

“What about me?”

“There’s room in the second car for us.”

“Sneaky,” she dropped her phone. “There is room for two in one van and one more in a second car. We can take a taxi home.”

“Or I can drive you all home. I know where it is. I sleep there all the time.”

She pursed her lips ignoring his ornery outburst.

“I don’t care, I just want to go,” she turned to her husband.

He nodded that he basically didn’t care.

“Then we’re headed backstage again,” Min-Seok led them.

“See you in a bit,” she hung up quickly before he could say anything further.

She sat next to Jimin with her father to her other side, but YoonGi sat on the end next to Jimin. Not once did they slip up and hold hands, use informal speech, or indicate in any way that they had been dating for nearly two months.

Then again, YeonJung’s complete focus was on speaking to every member of the group and Seokmin’s complete focus was on the amazing spiced pork ssam they were devouring.

“I take it you’re all going to the festival again tomorrow night?” NamJoon asked the Kim family.

“All dressed up in head to toe EXO,” MinYeon grinned. “We’ve never been to a show all together before.”

“No?” Jimin seemed upset about this information.

“Secret sister,” she pointed to herself. “Mom and Dad have gone of course, but I have only been to the ones in LA—and I hid in the crowd.”

“I didn’t know that,” her father turned to her.

“I wanted to see my Oppa perform,” she shrugged her shoulders. “He would sneak off on free days and we’d catch up for lunch or dinner, but I stayed hidden.”

“We should have done this a long time ago,” he shook his head. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine, Appa,” she rested her cheek against his shoulder. “Everything happens the way it was meant.”

He rolled his eyes, the scientist in him appalled at her ‘fate’ belief, but he smiled nonetheless. “Whatever you say.”

“And Sunday?” YoonGi asked her.

“I’ve already told MinSeok-ie that I have to work so he’s taking Mom and Dad home.”

He nodded his head.

She received a buzz from her phone and immediately pulled it out of her pocket to find that it was a call from ChanYeol. YoonGi also noticed the ID and looked away before taking a drink of beer.

“Yeobosayo? Hi. Yes. We are still eating. Okay,” she dropped her phone. “Oppa’s group wants us to stop by SM before we go back to my place for the night.”

“It is getting so late,” her father complained as he looked down at his watch.

“Actually, they’re just getting started. They’ll probably be in rehearsals until midnight or one.”

“We don’t get to see our children often, let alone see what they do. Please?” YeonJung placed her hand on his arm.

“Okay.”

She raised the phone back to her ear. “I will let you know when we’re on our way. What kind of coffee? All eight of you? The same... DO wants tea. That’s fine... because he’s cuter than you. Goodbye,” she giggled as she ended the call.

“What did he say?” YoonGi asked lowly.

“Why does it matter?” she hissed as Jimin raised his eyebrows in surprise.

“I want to know.”

“No, you don’t,” she reached for the soju that was sitting in front of him.

“Min-ah, don’t be so rude!” her mother scolded her. “That was Suga-ssi’s drink!”

“I’m so very sorry,” she bowed before turning away. Jimin caught her eyes and offered her a concerned look.

“You know…” he changed the subject for her. “My mom called me Min-ah when I was little…”

“Really?” she smiled at him. “So we’re MinMin?”

“I like that,” he laughed before pouring her another drink.

Once they were finished eating, MinYeon called a taxi. YoonGi sighed as he walked out to the street to wait with her.

“I’m sorry,” he mumbled.

“You are getting upset over a phone call.”

“It’s more than that and you know it.”

“You gave me until October.”

“I know. I know!” he shook his head. “It’s just…” he growled as he turned away. “I can’t do this.”

“You can’t do what?”

“I can’t watch you be with him.”

“You haven’t. I’m not with him. I am currently with you.”

“He’s too familiar with you.”

“So are you,” she snipped. “Do you really want to do this here, in the middle of the street, with my parents about to walk out?”

“No.”

She crossed her arms and looked away. “I will come early on Sunday so we can talk before we walk into a writing session with Slow Rabbit.”

“Fine.”

“Fine,” she blinked her eyes, determined not to let him know how much he was hurting her, especially when he knew her feelings.

Her parents stepped out of the restaurant with NamJoon and JeongGuk behind them.

“We took selfies!” her mother grinned as she burst into laughter.

“That’s awesome, Eomma.”

“Thank you for joining us,” SeokJin bowed lowly to the elders.

“Stop,” she waved her hands. “It was our honor. Thank you for being such honorable, respectable boys.”

Jimin glanced over at Yoon-Gi, a devilish grin devouring his face as YoonGi in returned shot him a look that could freeze water.

“He’s going to kill you, bro,” TaeHyung laughed as he pulled Jimin away.

The taxi pulled up and everyone gave their goodbyes. MinYeon turned to YoonGi to see if there was anything else he’d like to say. “See you Sunday,” he mumbled before walking off to the car.

“Hey,” Jimin grabbed her hand. “Talk to me.”

“I can’t,” she whispered.

“Call me later,” he squeezed her fingers.

She nodded her head silently before pulling away and slipping into the taxi.

It was nearly three in the morning when Jimin’s video of cute cats was interrupted by a phone call. He glanced around the room to see Hoseok sleeping before pattering off to his closet. “Yeobosayo?”

“Sorry it’s so late…”

“You’re fine. Are you okay?”

“I get the whole jealousy thing. I’m a jealous person. I just don’t understand why he gets so jealous when we aren’t in a committed relationship.”

“He wants to be, Min-ah. He’s in love with you.”

She sighed as she rolled her eyes around her studio. “He wants me to choose.”

He slid down and sat on the floor, pressed into the corner of his closet. “Do what you want to do.”

“It’s my experience… that when you end a relationship, you cut all ties.”

“You’re a 95-Liner, I’ll still see you.”

She sucked her bottom lip into her mouth. “I’m going to overthink the shit out of this.”

“What can I do to help, Ssangdungi?”

“I don’t know.”

“Then we’ll talk about something else. A truth for a truth. I’ll go first… I grew up under a mountain and always used to go hiking when I felt troubled. To this day, walking a mountain always calms and balances me.”

“I grew up under Achasan,” she smiled. “Appa took me there a lot after MinSeok-ie left because he said it made me forget about everything else for a while.”

“That’s the way I felt about Geumjeongsan.”

There was silence for a moment.

“I have naturally wavy hair and I hate it.”

“What?” he grinned as he tried to laugh silently. “I want to see it.”

“No. I get straight perms and blow-outs in between. The waves look frizzy and out of control when I let it curl up.”

“I bet they’re cute.”

“Not at all.”

“Ahhh…” he sighed. “I passed the written test to get my driver’s license but didn’t show up to the driving test.”

“Why not?” she giggled.

“It’s too much work,” he complained.

“It’s easy. You could take me to Achasan if you had your license.”

“True,” he nodded.

“The year I finished high school, we celebrated by going to Vietnam. MinSeok-ie was very proud because he planned everything, but fans found out he was with us and we were followed everywhere. We ended up staying in our hotel the entire time. After that, my parents sent me to UCLA for college so I wouldn’t be affected by sasaengs.”

“That explains… a lot. I’m sorry.”

“I enjoyed LA… maybe a little too much sometimes.”

“Jimin-ie! Time for sleep!” Hoseok hissed from their room.

He pulled his phone back and checked the time. “I have a schedule in the morning, Min-ah.”

“Okay. Thanks for the talk.”

“I enjoy talking with you.”

They both sat quietly for a moment.

“Goodnight,” they spoke at the same time before laughing.

“Good night, my twin,” he purred before ending the call.

#

MinYeon sat on the edge of her bed and stared at the floor. She was dressed to go to work, yet she dreaded going. She had a choice to make that she didn’t want to, yet she knew she would lose one of the most amazing men she had ever met. She liked the way she felt with YoonGi. She liked the way he made her feel. Her relationship with YoonGi, without the jealousy, seemed to work. It was safe and what she was used to, keeping balance by staying safe. Could she push past her comfort zone and commit to a man just so she could stay close to his group member? Would he let her pursue her feelings with Jimin if she broke things off with him?

Biting her lip, she picked up the key from her knee and threaded it with a very thick, long, expensive titanium necklace. Swallowing her pride, she placed it into the box and sat it on her nightstand before walking out the door. She would do what it took to keep Jimin in her life. She was going into the battle armed with as many contingencies as she could hold.

YoonGi sat in his studio, staring at photos that SM Entertainment had posted of EXO with Xiumin’s family. MinYeon was between Xiumun and Chen, so there was at least that, but the fact that ChanYeol was even in the same room had him ready to explode yet again.

He knew it was stupid. She was dating one of her brother’s bandmates and most likely one of his. She knew Chanyeol, at least to the extent that they spoke on social media, much longer, and she would always be closer to Jimin due to their age. Even if she broke things off with them, she would still see them—even when they were separated by time and distance. Would he always feel this betrayed and jealous?

She stepped off of the elevator and onto the floor of the studios as Jimin turned the corner and immediately stopped. His mouth dropped open as he looked her up and down. She was dressed as a true professional in a crisp white oxford with the top buttons open to expose her silver and diamond chains, her black slacks accented with a thick black belt that made her waist look extremely tiny. Her hair was pulled back into a long ponytail and her makeup included smoky cat eyes and bright red heart-shaped lips.

“Wow.”

She couldn’t help but smile. As nervous as she was at that moment, the butterflies in her stomach from seeing him were worse.

“This must be KMY,” he purred. “You would have made an amazing idol.”

“Watch your mouth,” she pushed her hand against his chest.

He grabbed her hand while grinning at her. “What’s wrong? You seem sad.”

She raised her eyebrows. “I just made a big decision and I’m second-guessing myself.”

“Ah. Yes. I do that… a lot. It’s usually because there are other choices available.”

She lost her breath at his choice of words. “I’m afraid… that if I don’t make this choice… my connection to you will be… cut off.”

He rolled his eyes around in thought for a moment before the light of understanding flashed through his eyes. “You really think that?”

“It’s my experience,” she nodded.

“Aish,” he looked away. “Baby...”

A tingle crawled up her spine at his tone of voice. She didn’t like being called ‘baby’ by men, but she loved hearing it from him. “Being with him wouldn’t be as bad as never seeing you. That makes the choice simple. So…” she sighed.

“You would commit to a man you’re not in love with to see me? There has to be another option.”

“He’s already told me I can’t see both of you, and as your hyung, he can forbid you to never speak to me again.”

He hooked his arm around her waist and pulled her in to rest his forehead against hers. “Min-ah…” he whispered. “Please don’t do it.”

“Jimin-ah…” she whispered against his lips.

He felt a bolt of electricity shoot up his spine as he squeezed her. “Don’t let him force you into a choice you don’t want to make.”

“I can’t lose you.”

“Are you crazy?” he smiled gently. “Heaven help the soul who tries to keep me away from my twin.”

“True,” she smiled at him.

“Call me later.”

“I have to work.”

“I’m aware,” he chuckled. “Call me.”

She licked her bottom lip and pulled away before turning toward YoonGi’s studio.

There was a knock on his door and he quickly looked up to see that it was nearly time for MinYeon to be there. He had been so focused on missing her that he forgot to meet her at the front desk.

“Hey,” he opened the door and looked down at her.

“Are you okay?” she asked quietly.

“No,” he stepped back and let her in, closing and locking the door behind them.

She placed her bag on the floor next to the door and sat on his black leather sofa. She hated confrontation; he knew that. He also knew that she was stubborn enough to sit there for two hours without saying a word, so he was going to have to start.

“I’m sorry.”

“If you keep saying those words, and then turn around and act like an ass again, they lose their meaning,” she answered smoothly without a hint of emotion in her voice.

“I know,” he reached up to play with his left ear.

“What did you mean when you said you can’t do this?”

He sucked his bottom lip into his mouth and looked away. “I had been drinking and misspoke.”

“That’s not what we agreed,” she shook her head. “We say the things we need to say but shouldn’t when we’re drinking, remember?”

He closed his eyes.

“You gave me until October to choose…”

His eyes popped open as he licked his lips and sat up nervously. “I’m sorry. I’m an idiot.”

She burst into laughter as he leaned up to kiss her.

“Ah!” she pushed her hands against his shoulders. “Red lipstick. I chose to be the Designated Driver today.”

“I have makeup wipes,” he threw his thumb over his shoulder as he gave her a gummy grin.

She placed her hand on his arm and looked him in the eyes. “No. That’s not why I’m here.”

He raised his eyebrows and sat back on his heels. “So you’re KMY at this moment.”

She nodded quietly as she waited for his response.

“Okay,” he nodded. “Then… let’s go to work.”

A few moments later, they walked into a meeting room where one of the BTS producers, Slow Rabbit, also known as Kwon DoHyeong, was waiting. They bowed to one another before YoonGi made introductions.

“This is KMY…”

“Wae?” his eyes widened. “Everyone’s talking about you right now. How in the hell did Suga get you in here?”

He laughed while tapping his fingers on the table. “We’re close.”

“Ah!” he shook his head. “Wow. Okay then.”

“Kim MinYeon,” she ignored him.

He stopped for a moment. “I’ve heard that name too…” he looked between the couple. “Are you Xiumin’s sister?”

“Yes,” she sighed.

“It’s an honor on both counts,” he nodded. “I should have known when you had me listen to ‘Jenga’ that the both of you worked on that this was happening,” he spoke to YoonGi.

“It’s been a process,” he ran his fingers through his hair. “Anyway! We have ideas for the song.”

They each opened up a laptop and pulled out notebooks.

“I’m going to sing more than rap on this one,” he nodded.

“Wae?”

“I want to do something I haven’t done before. I think ARMY will like it.”

“I have no doubt about that, but we usually use autotune when you sing.”

“Not this time,” he nodded confidently.

“All right,” he nodded.

“I’ve listened to the demo,” MinYeon spoke up. “I think the beat is awesome for a funky sound. Think disco meets BTS. A guitar, bass, 80’s synth…”

“I like that,” he agreed.

“As for lyrics, I’ve got this… unrequited love narrative running through my head. Like… they aren’t in love, but they won’t break up. They’re just back and forth…”

She sucked in a breath and put her finger up into the air as she froze, starring off into nothing. The men waited quietly a moment before DoHyeong turned to Suga.

“The longest I’ve ever seen her do this was ten minutes and I swear she came back with an entire song.”

“She’s completely gone, isn’t she?”

“Yes. She has an auditory eidetic memory. She can recall everything she hears. She uses her mind like a filing cabinet.”

“What do we do?”

“Wait and watch,” he took a sip of his iced coffee.

Minutes ticked by before she snapped back dramatically and immediately reached for her laptop. “Seesaw,” she mumbled. “Seesaw,” she repeated. “I know…” she opened her database and did a search for “seesaw.” She then read from her notes:

I’m getting tired of this seesaw game

At first, we showed off who was heavier

We’d brag and smile

Now we’re trying to beat each other

We’re in a competition

It’ll only end if someone gets off

We can’t keep doing this, we need to make a decision

“That’s exactly it. What else do you have?”

“That’s all for that thought. I’m trying to remember when I wrote it…” she searched her notes. “My sophomore year at UCLA… that year was a drunken blur,” she shrugged her shoulders.

DoHyeong looked between the two. “Why don’t you two work on this one. Come back when you’re ready and we’ll finish it up.”

“What about Bang-PD—nim?”

“I’ll tell him you’ve made great progress. It’s not a lie. You’ve been hanging onto this for months.”

“Yeah.”

“You leave tomorrow…”

“I’ll work in my hotel room.”

“On vacation in Saipan?”

“Yup!” he chirped. “That’s what I do. Relaxation for me is staying in bed all fucking day.”

“I know that, I just assumed you’d act like a normal human in front of the cameras.”

“Only when required,” they all laughed.

They broke up and the couple went back to his studio. He immediately began to gather his things. “This meeting is moving to your place. The couch is comfier and there are no dong-dongs around.”

She shook her head. “Fine. I’m making stew anyway.”

“Ah,” he placed his hand on his stomach and threw his head back dramatically. “How did you know I’m hungry? The gods are certainly smiling down on me.”

“Just… shut up and let’s go,” she rolled her eyes and pushed him out the door.

#

As YoonGi drove toward her flat, MinYeon looked out of the window. When a thought came to mind, she turned to him. “Shouldn’t you be packing?”

“Already done.”

“Really?”

“I honestly wasn’t sure how today was going to go. If we decided to not to work together, I knew I wouldn’t feel like packing and if we didn’t… I knew we’d be too busy to pack. Plus, we’re working, so…”

“Always planning for contingencies,” she smiled.

“Always,” he nodded.

“Hmph,” she smirked.

“What?”

“Nothing,” she answered sweetly. “I just have a lot on my mind.”

They were quiet as they made their way to her flat, not a single word spoken. Whether it was from contemplation or just being used to keeping to themselves in the event that someone overheard them in public was unsure.

She used her key and led him in, the smell of spicy fish falling over them like a wave. He growled lowly in appreciation as she pulled off her shoes, dropped her bag on the floor, and walked off to her room.

He rolled his neck before removing his shoes, dropping his bag beside hers, and following her. She was in her closet, picking out clothes to change into. He leaned against the door frame and crossed his arms as he watched her.

“Did I screw this up?” he asked lowly.

“What?” she glanced at the box on her nightstand.

“You’ve been… really distant… since the moment you walked into my studio.”

“I told you, I have a lot going on in my mind and I need to work.”

He sat on the end of her bed and nodded his head. “I felt the need to ask you to choose… I never considered that you might not choose me.”

She sat next to him on the bed and looked down at the floor. “There is still so much you don’t know about me. Some is very hard to talk about.”

“We learn more about one another every day. That’s what being in a relationship is about.”

“That’s not what I want,” she whispered.

“Or you just don’t want that with me.”

“YoonGi-ya…” she sighed. “Why are you forcing me to make a decision?”

“You’re perfect for me. You get me. We make sense together. You flow with the crazy schedules and don’t have a problem being alone. You love music as much as I do and are so talented… If I had the Gods pluck out my ideal woman from my brain and place her before me, it would be you.” He sucked in a breath and scratched behind his ear. “I have never been affected by one person as much as I am by you. A smile can bring me to my knees. Your laugh makes me happy. The face you made Saturday night… broke my heart. You have power over me that no one else has ever had and I would do anything for you.”

“That was too much,” she looked away and wiped under her eyes.

He grinned while pulling gently on her ponytail. “I’ve been replaying that in my head for days and pulled it off flawlessly.”

She laughed at him before shaking her head. “It was romantic,” she agreed.

“Awesome,” he laced his fingers through hers.

She stared at their intertwined fingers. “I will be here for ten months and then… my entire life is up in the air. Please don’t make me choose.”

He frowned before relenting with a nod. “I don’t share well.”

“I don’t make decisions quickly,” she smirked.

“We’re at an impasse, then.”

“We are.”

He licked his lips and nodded his head. “Okay. I’ll back off.”

“No more jealousy. There will be other men,” she secretly hoped he would change his mind, but the air escaped his chest at her declaration.

“Okay,” he sighed. “I will try to stop being a jealous ass.”

She smiled at him. “Thank you.”

“Thank you for giving me a second chance,” he pulled her into his arms and kissed her hair.

“Okay,” she kissed him. “Can we please go to work now; this song is going to wear a hole in my brain.”

“Fine,” he complained as she burst into giggles.

#

Two hours later, MinYeon sat on the sofa, eating spicy fish stew while completely absorbed in whatever she was doing on her laptop.

YoonGi looked up from his laptop to find her in a set of pink crystal-encrusted Beats, moving her mouth silently as she worked. He stretched through a growled yawn before pattering off to the kitchen to get another round of stew.

Both of them received a message at the same time and immediately reached for their phones. Slow Rabbit had reworked the bass line and sent it to them. YoonGi looked up to find MinYeon running toward her studio as he dropped his bowl on the counter and followed her.

She was already typing away at her keyboard, logging into her system when he walked in.

“Oh, I need your passwords.”

She slowly turned her head to him, a scowl glaring straight through him. “You haven’t earned those.”

“That’s where you draw the line?” he smirked.

“You’re getting too personal now,” she docked her phone and pulled up her music editing program. As the song loaded, she systematically turned on her speakers and other screens before finishing up at the keyboards.

She returned to her seat and clicked on the mouse as they sat back and listened.

The original demo was now accompanied by a funky bass line. They bounced their heads as they listened.

“We need to layer this fucker up,” she purred under her breath as he burst out laughing.

She made a list: acoustic guitar, piano, synth, electric guitar, backing vox, melody…

“We need to pick out a sound for the synth,” he slid over to the keyboards and began to set it up.

She nodded her head silently before returning to the bass track. By the time he had found a possible sound, he turned around to find her already programming the beat, adding claps, cymbals, and bass drum.

“Minion-ie,” he called to her.

She pulled her earphones off. “Did you really just call me that?” she threw a minion plushie at him.

“What about this?” he began playing.

“I like that! I’m thinking there should be a second sound…”

“One layer at a time, babe,” he slid closer to the keyboard and began playing.

It was nearly three in the morning when they gave into exhaustion. They had the entire drum track, the main synth, and the backing synth recorded.

“I’ll keep working on it while you’re gone,” she yawned as she sat in his lap and wrapped her arms around his neck.

“I’ll work on lyrics,” he agreed. “What else do you have to work on this week?”

She rolled her eyes to the ceiling. “I have a meeting at JYP… with JYP,” she counted on her fingers. “I’m in class assisting tomorrow—er today and Thursday,” she pressed her second finger. “My class is meeting Friday,” she pressed her third finger.

“And Wednesday?”

“I know… oh! I’m going out with ChaeLin and DaHye. I think they’re bringing Hannah too.”

He blinked his eyes as he stared at her for a moment. “CL from 2NE1? That ChaeLin?”

“I worked with her when I worked for Diplo.”

“That’s right… and you’ve worked with Heize too…”

“So we’re getting together for dinner and drinks or something. I’m not really sure. I was in the middle of work and just agreed.”

“You’re going to get yourself into serious trouble someday.”

“This is not that day,” she kissed his nose and slid off to begin shutting down the equipment.

“Come with me.”

“I can’t,” she whispered. “I’d be hiding from the cameras all week, what fun would that be?”

“Stop being the Designated Driver,” he growled.

“There’s always video chat.”

“I guarantee that there will be cameras in our rooms.”

“That’s hot.”

He smacked his hand against her ass and laughed. “You are a naughty girl, Minion.”

Her face fell as she pushed away and walked out the door, turning the lights off on him. He laughed as he followed her, all the way through the flat to the bedroom where she climbed into bed and turned off the light. He slid in behind her and kissed her cheek. “Goodnight.”

She pushed back into him and sighed.

He wrapped his legs around her and squeezed them as she began to giggle. “I won’t be able to sleep without my pillow.”

“What do you do when you’re not here?”

“I don’t sleep,” he quipped.

“That’s the difference between us then, because when you’re gone I spread out and take up the whole bed.”

“I believe it, because you’re a greedy brat.”

“I try not to be,” she laced her fingers through his.

“It’s okay, aegi-ya,” he whispered. “I’ll spoil you all that you want.”

She smiled before quickly falling to sleep.

A few hours later, MinYeon dressed into a Tommy Hilfiger cold shoulder hoodie dress and matching lace-up sneakers. She had pulled her hair up into a high ponytail and dabbed lip gloss on as she ran around gathering the things she would need for the day.

Minion_95: Stayed up all night working. Took a nap and now I’m on my way to class.

Minion_95: Have a safe trip.

As she poured a cup of coffee, she heard him growling in his ritual morning stretch.

“Yeon-ie,” he called to her gruffly.

She placed her cup on the counter and walked in to see what he wanted.

“Take my car.”

“Mwo?”

“I’ll take a cab home. I won’t be using my car this week, you take it.”

She rolled her eyes around in thought. “Okay,” she walked over to his jeans and searched his pockets until she found his key.

He reached out his hand for her, which she took. He then pulled her across him onto the bed.

“I need to go,” she laughed.

“You look too cute. You need to cover up.”

“I’ve been waiting all summer to wear this outfit,” she pouted. “I really need to go,” she kissed him.

“Did you just get glitter lip gloss on me?” he complained.

“Something to remember me by,” she giggled. “Bye. Have a safe trip.”

He rubbed her back and sighed. “Bye, baby. I’ll be home soon.”

She kissed him one last time before quickly leaving. As she walked out the door, she glanced down at her phone.

Lucky13: I can’t wait to hear it. Have a good day. I’ll call later.

#

After four hours of meeting with the professor she was working with, attending the first class, and speaking to confused students, MinYeon went home to change into a white oxford, jeans, and a wool blazer before sliding into a pair of Christian Louboutins and heading back out the door.

She walked into JYP Entertainment and was met by JY Park, the company’s CEO and Founder.

“It is such an honor,” he bowed to her. “Your name is on the lips of every company in the music business right now. Thank you for coming.”

“It’s my pleasure,” she was a bit stunned at his gushing. They stepped into a meeting room where she was met by the seven members of Got7. “Oh. Hello.”

“Wow, you’re so pretty,” BamBam let out as JB elbowed him.

“These are the Leader JB, Mark, Jackson, Jinyoung, Youngjae, BamBam, and Yugyeom. Boys, this is KMY.”

They all bowed to one another and said hello.

“Please take a seat,” JY offered as they all settled in.

“We’ve called you today because we would like you to take a listen to our new album and give us feedback,” JB began.

She tilted her head and listened to him.

“We’ve heard what you did for A.C.E. and the album was the best thing they’ve ever done,” Jackson followed.

“So you’ve already recorded the album?” she asked.

“Most of it. We have our solo songs to go,” Yugyeom explained poorly.

“There are five band songs and each of us has a solo on this one,” Jackson explained. “We’re home for just a few days from touring before leaving again and we’re trying to comeback the end of September.”

“So you’re… following what BTS has been doing for the past three years?”

They all quieted.

“In formula, not content,” JB answered.

She hummed and nodded her head. “Just so that I completely understand,” she took a breath. “You have a nearly completed album that you want me to review and critique.”

“Yes,” Youngjae answered as JY watched her.

“You do realize that I am a composer, writer, and producer? I make the music, I sometimes strip existing songs down and rework them, but I’m not an executive.”

“You’ve worked for companies before…” JY spoke up. “I am aware of your work in America.”

“I worked for Mad Decent in LA, and interned in various studios. I am basically a freelance producer at the moment.”

“Would you like a spot as an Executive Producer here at JYP?”

“I have many other obligations at the moment, I cannot be tied down to a full-time career,” she bowed to him. “Thank you for your offer.”

“So just work on this one,” BamBam pressed his hands together, pleading with her.

She glanced down at her hands for a moment. “May I please listen to or see what you have before making a decision?”

“Absolutely,” JY answered.

She exchanged information and stayed to speak to them for a while before heading out. She was emotionally exhausted when she made it back to her place, only to receive a message from Jimin that he had arrived safely and was in his room. She replied that she was braindead from the day, which received a call immediately.

“What’s wrong?”

She smiled as she glanced up at the ceiling. “Have you ever worked with JYP?”

“BigHit has co-managed groups together, back when we were trainees. We’re close with Got7…”

“They asked me to listen to their new album and critique. It’s an odd request… but then BamBam basically asked me to help him with his solo song. It feels like they’re trying to ride on Bangtan’s coat tails.”

“You don’t want to do it?”

“I rarely say no to anything, so this makes me feel guilty.”

“Why don’t you want to do it?”

“Honestly? It does nothing for me. They’re just using KMY because my name is hot right now. They don’t really want my help, just my name.”

“Except BamBam,” he smirked.

“Ugh,” she closed her eyes.

“Sleep on it. I mean it. You’ve had three hours of sleep; you need to rest.”

She smiled. “Yes, twin.”

“Mmm,” he growled. “It’s funny, we’ll spend the next four days covered so we don’t show too much skin while out in the water, but if you were here, I know you’d be in a cute bikini.”

“The cutest,” she corrected him. “That reminds me, I need to go to the spa.”

“I’m sure you have plenty of free time to fit that in,” he laughed. “So… Hyung-ie’s in a decent mood. Not overly giddy, but… not in a bad mood.”

“We came to an agreement for now. He doesn’t share well, and I won’t be pressured into making a decision.”

“I know it shouldn’t, but that makes me really happy. I mean… aside from the fact that you’re still dating him.”

“Yeah,” she sighed. “Why do today what you can put off until tomorrow?” she rattled off a saying.

“Our life motto,” he smirked.

“Libra rule number one,” she yawned. “Okay. I’m going to bed.”

“Me too. Have sweet dreams.”

“You too,” she purred.

They both rang off. A moment later, she received another call. Her eyes widened as she answered. “Yeobosayo?”

“Hey beautiful,” ChanYeol purred over the line.

“I feel like it’s been forever since you called me.”

“Yeah,” he sighed. “We’ve been swamped and with your parents and brother not leaving your side at the concert the other night…”

“I get it. I understand.”

“Are you busy?”

“No.”

“The dorm is quiet. Can you come over?”

She rolled her eyes around for a moment in thought. “Yes.”

“I’ll see you in a bit.”

“See you,” she ended the call and let out a long sigh before gathering what few things she had of his and calling an Uber.

Before she knew it, she had hopped into a car and arrived in front of the EXO dorm. She glanced around to make sure there were no fans before dashing to the door, where ChanYeol was waiting. He quickly grabbed her hand and ran up the stairs to his room.

Before she could object, he had pulled her in for a nice, long, reacquainting kiss.

“Channie,” she whispered.

He smiled while pushing the hoodie off of her head. “Shhh. We’ll talk later.”

“Mmm,” she smiled as he kissed her. She then brought her arms around his neck. “I missed you.”

“I missed you too,” he kissed her neck.

She inched her fingertips up the inside of his shirt as he lurched his body toward her. He smiled against her lips before pulling her toward his bed and bringing her down with him.

“Baby,” he moaned as she ran her fingers through his shaggy brown hair. He yanked her leggings down and tossed them to the floor and then pressed his body into hers as she wrapped her legs around his waist. He reached over to his nightstand and retrieved a condom while kissing her deeply.

She closed her eyes and let out an excited sigh as he pushed his way inside her. They held tightly to one another as they set a quick pace, removing the rest of their clothes as their skin slapped together.

“Oh!” she scratched her nails down his back as he closed his eyes, enjoying the feel of her once again.

“Aegi,” he repeated in a gurgle from deep within his chest.

“Ah!” she called out as she held tightly to him, her arms and legs clamped around him. “Shit,” she squealed as she exploded around him, earning a smile as he pressed his lips against her neck.

He sat back on his heels and pulled her up like a rag doll, her tiny frame wrapping around his body as he bounced her on the bed.

They flipped and flopped, changing positions until they finally collapsed together. He struggled to catch his breath as she peeked up at him and laughed.

“You look exhausted,” he kissed her.

“I am,” she rested her head against his arm and closed her eyes.

“Why don’t you take a nap...” he looked down to see her sound asleep. He smiled down at her before pulling the duvet over them and going to sleep.

The next thing she knew, there was a knock at the door. Sunlight poured into the room as she blinked her eyes.

“Channie, we have a shoot to get ready for,” MinSeok called from the hall.

Her eyes widened as she froze.

“Are you awake?” MinSeok turned the doorknob as MinYeon popped under the duvet and froze.

The door opened as ChanYeol burst into laughter. “Good morning, hyung!”

He cocked his eyebrow and glanced down at the lump under the covers beside him. “Seriously?” he glanced around and saw the clothes as his face fell and he closed his eyes. “What… the… fuck…” he sighed.

“It’s not what you think...”

“Go home, Yeon-ah,” he growled.

“No, her name’s… bu-aaaaaaahhhhhh!” He yelled as she pinched his side from under the covers.

“Don’t make it worse,” she whined.

MinSeok sighed as he closed the door behind him and walked down to Kai’s room.

She popped out from under the duvet and sighed.

“That was just as awkward as I imagined,” he nodded solemly.

“Fuck,” she ran her fingers through her hair.

“Okay, we need to sneak you out of here.”

“I’m fine, just call a taxi.”

“You’re sure?”

“Yes.”

He watched her dress, braid her hair, and pull her hood up before reaching into her purse for a mask and sunglasses. “You got used to being with idols way too fast.”

“Oppa made a list,” she smirked. “I am prepared.”

He popped down her mask and kissed her one last time. “Text me when you get home.”

“Have a good day,” she grabbed her things and headed out.

He sat back onto his bed and let out a sigh.

#

“I didn't leave my room the entire first day. I ate, slept, and chilled.”

MinYeon giggled at YoonGi’s choice of activities while at a tropical location.

“I didn’t even work. That’s a first. I just caught up on sleep and relaxed.”

“You need that. You haven’t had your own space for a while now. You’re not a social creature.”

“I can’t lie, if you were here, we wouldn’t have gotten that much sleep.”

“You are lying. We would have had another nap date.”

“Half sleeping and half…”

“You’re not completely there for fun, are you?” she cut him off.

“No. We had photo shoots in three locations today. In the heat. It was horrible.”

“However did you survive?” she asked sarcastically.

“You would have complained too.”

“I would have had my cute bikini on and left you for the water.”

“Damn it,” he sighed. “Why do you always do that?”

“I could send you pictures if you like.”

“I have some already,” he sighed. “Are you going out tonight?”

“I’m waiting for them to pick me up.”

“What are you wearing?”

She glanced up at her reflection in a mirror. “Black skinny jeans, cropped plaid tank, and black leather biker jacket.”

“I want a picture.”

“You’ll get it when I post one later.”

“You’re supposed to do as Oppa says.”

“Last time I checked; he was across town doing super-secret EXO stuff.”

“I’m not going to win this, am I?”

“Nope,” she sang as a text came through. “They’re here.”

“Have a good night. Be a good girl.”

“Why start now?” she giggled. “Good night!”

As the night progressed, Instas for CL, Heize, Hannah, and KMY, as well as fan cams, blew up. All four women were amazingly beautiful, especially dressed for a night out.

Jimin lay back on his bed with one arm behind his head and chewed on his bottom lip as picture after picture popped up. He was happy to see her having fun.

When YoonGi awoke the next morning, people were still talking about them and the rumors were rampant. YouTubers were reporting that the rising producer KMY was collaborating with rappers, that she resembled G Dragon and Xiumin, and that she herself was probably a former trainee or idol.

“So our girlfriends are friends now,” SeokJin spoke at breakfast. “Now they just need to meet Seouli,” he and YoonGi both turned to NamJoon.

“Funny, they’re all Korean and have lived in America,” he smirked. “They have a lot in common.”

“Have you heard from her lately?”

“She graduated in May and has a few really big job offers. She wants to talk when we get to Chicago on tour,” he stared at his plate.

“Good talk?”

He shrugged his shoulders. “We’ve been together five years and four of those have been long-distance. I’m not sure how much more of this I can handle.”

The directors opened the door and carried in video equipment as they all quieted.

Back in Seoul, MinYeon walked into the classroom she was assisting in and stopped as everyone turned around to stare at her.

“Do you realize that you look like KMY?”

“Do I?” she laughed.

“No! MinYeon-nim wears much less makeup and dresses classier,” another student stood up for her.

“Thank you,” she mumbled.

“And KMY has red streaks in her hair, look!” someone pulled out her phone and showed everyone a photo.

MinYeon bit her lip and took her seat, amused that her students weren’t aware that colored wax was a ‘thing’ or that makeup sometimes worked miracles.

“See? Definitely not her!”

“Sorry,” the first student apologized.

“It’s all right,” she bit the inside of her cheek to keep from laughing.

#

Jimin stepped off of the plane from Saipan and looked down at his phone as they walked through the airport. He texted MinYeon and glanced around for a moment to make sure no one was looking over his shoulder.

Lucky13: Hey beautiful, I’m home.

He focused on his managers and security as they escorted the group through the airport until they reached the vans. He slid into the back and checked his phone again before dialing.

“Yeobosayo?!” she yelled over loud music.

“Where are you?” he laughed.

“Jimin-ah?!” she tried to hear over the music. “I’m at Jamsil! Seventeen!”

“Ah,” he became uneasy. “Shall I meet you there?”

“What?!”

“Read your texts!”

“Ne!” she ended the call and looked down at her phone.

Minion_95: I’m at Jamsil watching the SVT show.

Lucky13: What are the plans after?

Minion_95: Club Aura with some friends from high school.

He tilted his head and sighed. Club Aura was a well-known singles bar in Gangnam catering to Americans. It was notorious for fuckboys who wanted to hook up with women for the night. It was also a hot spot for Korean men to meet American women and vice versa, the sort of place to ‘test out’ the connection between cultures and see what it was like to hook-up with a foreigner.

Lucky13: Please call me if you need a ride home.

Minion_95: Welcome home. I’ll call tomorrow.

He threw his head back dramatically before looking out the window.

Once they arrived at home, he went straight to his room to unpack. He had to try to keep his mind busy from worrying about her. She was a beautiful woman who was going to be like chum in a shark tank at a club like that, and his gut told him tonight was going to be bad. At midnight, he checked his phone once again as YoonGi peeked into his room.

“Hey.”

“Hyung,” he smiled for him.

“Have you happened to hear from Yeon-ah? We were supposed to finish up a song, but she’s not answering her phone.”

“She went to the Seventeen show and then a club with her old school friends. That’s the last I heard… she’s not exactly returning my texts either.”

“Ah. Okay. I’ll just wait,” he nodded. “Goodnight.”

“Goodnight, hyung,” he sighed before zipping up his suitcase and placing it into its spot in the closet. He was about to change into some comfier clothes when his phone rang. “Yeobosayo?”

“Has anyone ever told you how… incredibly hot you are?” a male American accent purred over the phone.

“Every day,” she hummed.

“Wow. No modesty?”

“Why be modest when it’s the truth?”

“Min-ah?” Jimin called to her, but she didn’t hear.

“You know, there’s a love motel not far from here.”

“That sounds like fun, you’ll have to tell me how it goes,” she laughed.

“Dude, she’s just not that into you,” a female voice spoke in Korean as multiple girls laughed.

“Great,” Jimin sighed. He had been butt dialed by the one person he actually wanted to spend time with tonight.

“Noona!”

He perked up when he heard the voice of his maknae and frowned. He dashed off to JeongGuk’s room and sighed when he realized he wasn’t home. His maknae and his girl were together at a bar and he wasn’t there.

“What the fuck?” he whined as the call ended. He quickly changed into nice shirt and slacks and dashed down to TaeHyung’s room. “MinYeon took Gukkie to Club Aura.”

“What?” he burst out laughing. “Is she trying to hook him up with an American girl tonight?”

“Knowing her… probably. I’m going to go get them before they do something stupid.”

“And who’s going to stop you?” he purred.

“That would be you,” he pursed his lips. “Please?”

“Aish,” he shook his head. “Fine. You owe me one.”

“Of course.”

They walked into the club and looked around, only to find that they were not there. Jimin texted MinYeon again.

Lucky13: Hey baby, Tae and I are here. Where did you go?

Minion_95: That was two clubs ago.

Lucky13: Where are you?

Minion_95: That is an excellent question.

“She’s very drunk and can’t answer a fucking question,” Jimin laughed.

“JK is apparently preoccupied with a beautiful Australian girl named Brenna,” TaeHyung held up a selca that the maknae had sent him. “Proof.”

“Is he still with MinYeon-ah?”

“Bro, he’s at a love motel right now…”

“Shit,” he dialed the phone again. As soon as she picked up, he spoke. “Baby, where are you? Are you alone?”

“Jimin-ah…” she whispered. “I don’t feel well.”

“Honey, where are you?” he began to panic.

“Bright lights… purple… green…”

“That sounds like Club Lux,” TaeHyung listened in on the conversation.

“Can you get to the restrooms and lock yourself in? Can you do that?” Jimin asked while heading for TaeHyung’s car.

“I already am.”

“Okay, Baby. Stay on the phone with me. Tae’s driving.”

“Okay,” she breathed. “I’m always careful…” there was a knock at the door.

“Hey, pretty thing. Are you alright in there?” the American man who had slipped something in her drink waited at the door.

“Go away, you dickhead!” she yelled back at him as Jimin rolled his eyes and laughed. He knew enough English to understand that.

The two pulled up to Club Lux and ran straight up to the bartender. The crowd began to murmur as they recognized them as idols, but couldn’t quite place which ones.

“My friend thinks she was slipped something in her drink. She called from the restrooms, can we please see if she’s here?” Jimin asked confidently as he waited.

“Of course,” he grabbed the keys and led them, only to find a man trying to kick in the door.

“What seems to be the problem?” the Korean bartender asked.

“I don’t speak Konglish,” he huffed in return.

The bouncers pulled him back as he unlocked the door and let Jimin and TaeHyung in. MinYeon was crouched down in the corner, resting her cheek against the cool tile.

“Min-ah,” Jimin dropped to his knees and placed his hands on her cheeks. “Baby, I’m here.”

She frowned and looked at him through squinted eyes. “Fucker roofied me,” she complained.

“I know, Baby,” he pushed her hair out of her face. “Where is JK?”

“Around the corner.”

“I’ll find him,” TaeHyung took off.

“Can you walk?”

She nodded slowly as he helped her up. He then led her out to the waiting car and helped her into the backseat where she collapsed against him.

“What the hell were you thinking, huh?” he was nearly in tears.

“I am always very careful with my drinks!” she slurred heavily. “My friends left after the second bar, so JK and I came here.”

“I couldn’t find you,” he wrapped his arms around her. “I felt so helpless because you were in trouble and I didn’t know where you were.”

“I’m sorry.”

He pulled her phone out of her hand, used her face to open it, and downloaded an app that would allow him to see where she was at any moment of the day, and vice versa. It was a well-known app between young Korean couples, but he didn’t care. He had to know where she was.

“Did you just activate the ‘Find Your Friend’ app?”

“Yes.”

She hummed. “Okay.”

“You don’t mind?”

“I have my own personal Jimin to watch over me. Why would I mind,” she dozed off on his shoulder.

“YoonGi-hyung is expecting to work today. We need to sober you up.” He watched her as she slept. He slowly made the transition from panic to anger as he realized what had just happened until he realized that her breathing had slowed considerably.

“Min-ah…” he patted her face. “MinYeon-ah!” he shook her. He looked around for a moment before opening the back door and pulling her out. He took a few deep breaths before sticking his fingers down her throat. He winced as her body began to convulse and pulled away as she began to vomit.

“The fuck?” TaeHyung growled as he arrived with JeongGuk staggering behind.

“She wasn’t breathing well,” he pulled her hair back from her face.

“This was supposed to be fun,” JeongGuk knelt beside her and helped hold onto her.

“I’m so dizzy,” she whispered.

“I know, Baby,” Jimin looked up at TaeHyung. “Can you run to 7-11 and get some wipes and a bottle of water?”

“Yeah,” he quickly took off.

“This is not fun,” she whined.

“I’ll stay with you until it wears off.”

“I’m sorry, Noona. I shouldn’t have left you,” JeongGuk rubbed her back.

They all looked up as the police showed up and retrieved the man from the bouncer. “Is this the man who drugged your drink?” the bartender asked.

She glanced up at him before nodding her head.

“Do you want to press charges?”

She glanced up at Jimin. She was surrounded by Korean idols, and the sister of one. If it hit the news that they were at a hook-up bar and she was nearly raped… “No.”

“We need your names…”

“No you don’t,” Jimin followed.

They all understood the situation before breaking up.

TaeHyung drove them to her apartment and looked around. “I’ve got the sofa,” he smirked. “I deserve it after tonight, I think.”

“I’ll take the sofa in her studio,” JeongGuk waved as he staggered off.

Jimin ignored them both and pulled her into her room and straight to the bathroom. He closed the doors and turned on the water to clean her up as she unzipped the back of her dress and dropped it around her ankles.

He closed his eyes for a moment and took a deep breath to control himself.

“I smell awful,” she stepped into the shower and turned it on.

“Min-ah…” he chuckled at her.

“Wash my hair,” she demanded drunkenly.

“Baby,” he whined. “I’ll have to get undressed to do that.”

She smiled as she looked up at him. “And?”

He pursed his lips before loading up her toothbrush with toothpaste and shoving it into her mouth.

She coughed before laughing and brushing her teeth.

He pulled his shirt over his head and unbuckled his pants, stripping down to his Armani jockeys before sitting on the edge of the tub and reaching for the sprayer.

She spit into the tub and opened her mouth, staring at him playfully until he sprayed her in the mouth so she could rinse her mouth. This was dangerous on any other given night, but the chemicals coursing in her bloodstream were known for increasing sexual desire and reducing inhibitions. He definitely had his hands full.

She turned away as he sprayed down her hair, running his fingers through it as he pushed away several different scenarios from his mind. This was not the time. If he slept with her tonight, he’d be no better than the guy who drugged her. He would not be that man. He would not take advantage of her.

She handed him the shampoo over her shoulder and he switched it for the sprayer. She closed her eyes and enjoyed the feeling of him massaging the shampoo into her scalp. A small moan escaped her chest before she burst into giggles.

“What?” he asked from behind her.

“You are really good at this.”

“I’ve never done it before, if that’s what you mean.”

“Hmmm,” she breathed. “I’m sorry.”

“I’m so glad I was able to find you,” he sighed. “I don’t even want to think…”

“Me either.”

He took the sprayer from her and rinsed her hair before switching again for the conditioner. “How long do you keep your conditioner on?”

“Five minutes,” she turned to him.

He sat back onto the side of the tub as she looked down at him.

“Please don’t look at me that way,” he whispered. “We can’t do this while you’re doped up.”

She slid onto his right knee and rested her arms on his shoulders. “But I… really want to.”

“No. I refuse,” he rested his hands on her hips. Thank goodness they were both still in their underwear.

“You don’t want me?”

“Bite your tongue, woman,” he growled at her. “I’ll start naming off reasons we shouldn’t if you don’t stop.”

“You have a list?” she grinned. “You are definitely my twin,” she brushed her nose down his.

He pushed her up and reached for the sprayer to rinse out her hair before wrapping her up in a robe and carrying her to her bed.

He changed into one of her hoodies and running shorts before climbing into her bed and sitting up against the headboard. She climbed into his lap and draped her legs over his thigh before resting her head against his shoulder.

“Jimin-ah,” she whispered softly.

“Ne.”

“Thank you.”

He smiled before looking down at her. “I think I’ve been put on this planet to take care of you,” he admitted boldly.

She wasn’t sure if it was the drugs or her true feelings, but her chest felt as though it were about to burst as she stared into his eyes. “I think I’ve made a decision.”

“Let’s wait a few days and see how you feel then. You might change your mind after we get these drugs flushed out of your system.”

She smirked at him before closing her eyes and snuggling into him.

He watched her sleep before rolling his eyes around the room. How in the hell was he supposed to tell his hyung, his brother, one of his best friends in the whole world, that he was in love for the first time—with the same woman he was in love with?

#

The next morning, an hour before noon. YoonGi used the code and entered MinYeon’s flat. He found TaeHyung asleep on the sofa and frowned while looking around. He slowly walked to the studio to find JeongGuk on the sofa there and sighed before glancing up at the bedroom. Did he want to know who was in there with her?

As if he willed it, the door slid open and Jimin walked out, wearing the same EXO hoodie he had on the night before.

“Seriously?” he sighed.

He held his finger up before closing the door behind him and walking him to the kitchen. “She had a rough night last night,” he whispered.

“What does that mean?”

“She and Gukkie went to Club Aura.”

“What?!” he raised his eyebrows.

“They found him a cute Australian girl and he went off to a love motel with her.”

His ears reddened by the second as he angered. Which was he more angry with, that she wasn’t returning his texts, was out with his maknae, or the dangerous fucking shit they had been up to?

“While she waited, she got distracted and her drink was spiked with GHB. TaeHyung-ie and I found her in time, but… I promised we’d stay with her until she sobered up.”

“Why didn’t anyone call me?!”

“Honestly… I was too worried about her to think of anything else. She almost overdosed and I made her vomit… then I had to clean her up,” he cracked his neck. “It was a long night.”

“How is she now?”

“Wrecked,” he opened a cabinet and retrieved a mild painkiller before grabbing a bottle of water from her refrigerator. It wasn’t lost on YoonGi that he knew exactly where her things were. Jimin must be spending more time here than he had.

He walked into her bedroom to see MinYeon sitting up, drinking from the water while running her fingers through her damp, wavy hair.

“Good morning,” she whispered.

“Can you work today?”

“Totally, just give me a bit.”

He raised his eyebrows. “Your voice sounds like shit. How the hell do you expect to record backing vocals today?”

“I’ll go get some food,” Jimin rummaged through her shoe collection until he found a pair of slides. “I’ll be back in a bit.”

She nodded to him as YoonGi watched him walk out. He then turned to her. “So… you went out with JeongGuk-ie last night?”

“He’s been going through some shit and I thought getting him laid was a good idea,” she sighed. “I feel so stupid. I never lose track of my drink. I don’t know what happened.”

“So you called Jimin instead of me?”

“No,” she frowned at him. “He texted me. And then he called… it’s all really blurry. I was so dizzy. I passed out in the back of TaeTae’s car and the next thing I knew, Jimin’s fingers were down my throat… so gross.”

“Were the police called?”

She slowly nodded her head. “We didn’t give them names and I didn’t press charges. I just want to forget about it.”

“You were almost raped last night,” he angered.

“I wasn’t.”

“No, because your boyfriend saved you.”

She glared at him.

“You spend more time with him than you do with me.”

Every comeback she had lined up was savage and hurtful, instead she decided to walk off to the bathroom and clean up. She returned to see him glancing down into the trashcan in the corner of her room. “Min YoonGi!”

Her voice echoed throughout the apartment as TaeHyung and JeongGuk sat straight up from dead sleep.

“Did I really just catch you searching my trash for used condoms?!”

“Yeon-ah…” he reached for her.

“He won’t sleep with me because of you! He’s desperate not to hurt you because you’re his hyung!”

“I’m sorry,” he tried to hug her, but she kept pulling away.

“You could have chosen to console me or talk to me, but instead you’re suspicious and nosy! How can you say you want to commit when you don’t even trust me?!”

Jimin returned with hangover soup and bread to find TaeHyung and JeongGuk sitting silently on the sofa, staring at the floor. “What’s going on?”

TaeHyung pointed to the closed bedroom door.

“I trust you, Aegi, I just…”

“Stop lying to me! If you trusted me, you wouldn’t do shit like that! That’s not trust!”

“You want truth?! Okay! I have no reason to trust you when you fuck other guys!”

“Exactly how many do you think there are?!”

“At this point I have no idea! Club Aura, Yeon-ah?! How many times have you been there?!”

“I didn’t go there for me last night!”

“You expect me to believe that YOU sat at the bar like a good girl and waited?!”

“That’s exactly what I did,” she lowered her voice. “You, Jimin, and Oppa were all texting me at the same time that this…. Guy was trying to talk to me. He gave me this… ridiculous line and told me he ‘liked his bitches to do what ever he pleased’ and I turned away. I was trying to reply to your text when I saw him reach for my glass. I didn’t realize he already put something in my drink.”

“Fuck…” he sighed.

“I suddenly felt really sick and locked myself in the bathroom. Everything got fuzzy… Jimin called… the guy tried to kick the door in… I think I passed out… So no. I did not go out looking for that last night.”

“Are you okay?”

“I think it’s a little late for that,” she pulled away. “I will send the song to you when I’m finished.”

“MinYeon-ah, please…”

“Leave me alone.”

“No,” he took her hands. “We’re going to talk this out.”

“I think we should go home,” JeongGuk mumbled.

“Yeah,” TaeHyung yawned.

“I’m staying here until she tells me to leave,” Jimin smirked at them.

“You’re going to end up in a fight with hyung-ie.”

“No, I won’t,” he looked around. “I promise. I’m just here to make sure she’s okay.”

The door opened and they all looked up to see MinYeon in a t-shirt and shorts, her hair on top of her head in a messy bun. She sniffed at the air as Jimin nodded toward the kitchen.

“We’re going to work,” YoonGi informed them lowly. “You can stay here or… whatever. It’s not my apartment, do what you want.”

It was nearly six in the evening when they finally finished the song and were listening to a nearly completed track. MinYeon glanced over her shoulder to see Jimin perched on the sofa, watching over them like a dutiful bulldog.

“I like it,” he smiled.

“We’re ahead of schedule,” YoonGi scratched his ear. “Let’s just... relax for once.”

“I can make a meal...”

“Hey,” he grabbed her hand. “That’s not relaxing.”

“True.”

“I’ll pick a movie,” Jimin walked out of the studio with his nose in his phone.

He’s not going to let me have a second alone with you today,” YoonGi sighed.

“No.”

“Ah,” he sighed. “Well… we brought souvenirs from Saipan anyway.”

“Yay!” she clapped her hands together while walking out of the studio. She sat next to Jimin on the sofa as he turned on the television. YoonGi returned from the doorway with a glittery pink gift bag. She covered her mouth as her eyes widened. “I bet the inside of your bag looks like you smuggled a stripper!”

They burst into laughter at her comment.

“I placed it into a trash bag.”

“Ah... my genius was working.”

“24/7,” he licked his lip.

She accepted the bag and immediately opened it to find a delicately wrapped tote. “This is Chanel,” she mumbled as she unwrapped the black leather and fantasy fur Paris Biarritz tote. “This isn’t a souvenir.”

“I needed a bag to put the souvenirs in,” he explained.

“We passed the Chanel shop at the airport and I saw it,” Jimin leaned against her.

“Of course you did,” she grinned before digging into the tote to find various snacks, sweets, and soaps. “It’s so pretty and fluffy,” she pushed it all to the side and wrapped her arms around each of them. “Thank you.”

An hour into the movie, YoonGi looked down to find that MinYeon was asleep with her head against Jimin’s shoulder, her arms wrapped around his left arm as he watched the movie. His heart broke as he realized that they were over. No matter what she said, her heart belonged to Jimin.


	4. JULY – ENEMIES AND FRIENDS

MinYeon walked around the classroom, pausing between statements in order to give her students time to take notes. “You have to set up the DAW, you can’t just start running as soon as it’s up and loaded,” MinYeon explained to a group of students.

She looked over one of the students’ shoulders to see her reading an article about the 95-Liners of Kpop showing up for the final Seventeen show at Jamsil Stadium the previous night.

“It’s supposed to be good for beginners. That’s why we take the class as Freshmen,” a student argued.

“True. Unless you have already used previous versions, you need to setup your input and output busses first. You have to get the music into the program somehow.”

“So, once the input is in...”

“You need to start a project. You need to know what quality you want the track, and as you grow your catalog you will need to set up author, song title, assignment numbers, and so on. I’ll show you,” she walked up to her laptop, which was connected to a projector, and opened ‘Jenga.’ “So, here is where you are. This is the track information, sound quality and...”

“Did the author field say KMY and SUGA?” a student squealed.

“Yes,” she answered. “Here are the various layers...”

“How do you have that saved to your DAW?”

She cleared her throat and nodded. “KMY. Kim MinYeon. I am KMY.”

“Why have we never heard of this? Heize wrote and performed ‘Jenga.’ Didn’t she?”

“I wrote it and she purchased the song from me. That is how this profession works. SUGA liked the song and we reworked it together. It sounds a little different than Heize’s version.”

“Can we hear it?”

“Once we complete this lesson.”

She managed to duck questions that did not pertain to the lesson until the end. “So sorry, there is no more time. Next time!” She cleaned up and packed away her equipment while the students complained and left the lecture hall, many having other classes to attend after. As she turned out the lights, she received a text from her supervisor to meet her in two hours. She dropped her shoulders and sighed before responding.

She walked out to the courtyard and placed a large scarf from her bag onto the ground before making herself comfortable against a tree. There, she opened her laptop and began typing some lyrics that were in her head.

When everyone falls asleep, it’s my B side that starts

It endlessly floats into the universe of infinity

Following a strange note, I close my eyes and drift away

Slowly, just take my body

We need to copy these emotions

So baby focus, can’t be nobody, don’t you get it?

I’m broken, come fix me

A body interrupted her as he sat next to her and glanced over her shoulder. She slowly brought her eyes up to see YoonGi, in a black cap, t-shirt, and jeans, reading her work.

“That’s deep. Are you okay?”

“I’m not sure,” she sighed. “What are you doing here?” she changed the subject. How in the world did one tell a man she was sleeping with that she was obsessed with his teammate?

“English class,” he answered.

She raised her eyebrows as she waited.

“I’m attending a two-week long class that begins today. I like spying on you, too. It makes me happy to see you by yourself,” he admitted.

She rolled her eyes. “I think my students have accused me of plagiarizing my own music. I’ve been called in by my supervisor.”

He smirked at her. “You’re not nervous at all, just pissed.”

“I have a file of my copyrights,” she smiled at him. “I have no reason to be nervous.”

“That’s my girl,” he kissed her cheek before he leaned against the tree and closed his eyes. “Wake me up if someone recognizes me.”

“Sweet dreams,” she turned her attention back to her song.

I’m broken, come fix me

I want to feel your warmth

I hope that you don’t know this side of me

I hope it’s okay like this

I want you to recognize this side of me, I want you to recognize…

She stopped and looked around, the summer sun shining brightly as the warm wind moved the leaves of the trees they were sitting under. She looked down at Yoon-Gi, who as usual, fell quickly asleep. She studied his lips for a moment before returning again to her lyrics.

Inside me, you rage (like a storm) and rage (like a storm), I cannot escape

Regardless of where you rewind to, rewind to

It’s replay, replay

The deeper it gets, I can’t find even a trace of your hurt self—

Is it a misplaced illusion, I wonder?

You rage (like a storm) and rage (like a storm), making me dizzy.

Leaving me locked up.

Her alarm went off, causing her to save and close her laptop before looking down at him. “Is that a Dispatch photographer?”

His eyes popped open as he growled at her. “I don’t think you’d make a living as a comedian; you should stick with music.”

She grinned as he sat up and stretched out his arms.

“How long will this take?”

“Not long, I would hope.”

“Good. We’re having dinner in Incheon tonight.”

“Where?”

“Napoli.”

“Italian? Sounds good.”

“I know,” he walked away while pulling his hat over his eyes.

She gathered her things and walked back into the School of Music.

She followed the halls around, in and out of hallways while making her way through the department of music. She finally reached the door to the office she was required at and knocked. She stepped in and sat in the seat in front of her advisor and waited.

“We have received a few complaints from your students,” her advisor explained.

She nodded her head and waited.

“They claim that you used a song written by KMY and SUGA as an example in class and claimed it as your own.”

“They are correct,” she nodded again.

She paused for a moment. “Are you admitting to plagiarizing a copyrighted song?”

“I am admitting to the ownership of the song,” she opened her laptop and placed it in front of her. “I am identified by the Korean Music Copyright Association as KMY. They are my initials. Kim MinYeon.”

“How do you know a Kpop Idol?”

She took a breath before answering. “My older brother, Kim MinSeok, is also known as Xiumin of EXO.” She offered her phone, which was open to the EXO Instagram, which showed a photo of her family with the popular idol group. “I have worked with a handful of Korean pop stars and rappers, as well as Americans. I received my bachelor’s degree at UCLA... I assumed you would have read my entrance application.”

She blinked her eyes.

“I just finished a song with SUGA-ssi that will be released on Bangtan’s new album in August. Would you like a copy when it is released?”

“Why are you here when you are already working with the Korean music industry?”

“I am here to learn, just as my classmates. My parents are both educators and want me to acquire my master’s degree. My brother has a PhD, I’m sure you can Google that to verify.”

The woman was both bewildered at her admittance and flustered at her failure to use a polite, respectful tone. “Thank you.”

“My pleasure,” she rose and bowed lowly before grabbing her things and leaving.

#

YoonGi stared at the menu before looking up to watch MinYeon.

“Focus,” she whispered.

“I never know what to order.”

“I am aware.”

He smirked before returning to the menu. “The Queen of Indecision is pissed at me for not being able to order… amusing…”

She flashed her eyes up at him. “It’s food. Order what you like.”

He felt his gut churn with sadness as he realized that his time with her, as a dating companion, were numbered. She was distant and aloof again, subconsciously pushing him away. He was an observer, and knew the signs well after living with a man for six years who had the exact same vices, mannerisms, and methods of operation.

The waitress returned with their wine and waited for a moment as he continued to stare at his menu.

“We would like a caprese salad, seafood scampi linguini, and pizza margarita,” she smiled as she handed over her menu.

“Thank you, dear,” he spoke in English as he pushed the menu away.

The waitress walked away.

“I thought you wanted to practice your English?”

He pointed out to the waitress. “I just did.”

She smiled before reaching for her wine.

“You’re still in a bad mood.”

“I’m sorry. I tend to get this way when I’m treated like a stupid girl who shouldn’t be in the music industry.”

“Did more happen than what you told me?”

“No,” she completely ignored the lyrics spilling from her head that were overwhelmingly about Jimin. “I’m just so angry that I had to defend myself. And now everyone knows I know you and they’ll be watching me on campus and...”

“Hold up,” he waved his hands. “You’re speaking too fast. I can’t keep up.”

She rolled her eyes and crossed her arms.

“I’m going to Taipei on Friday. Do you want me to bring you back something?”

“It’s not necessary.”

He sighed and stared at his hands a moment before looking around. He then rolled his eyes. “MinYeon-ah, please cheer up,” he pouted while pouring on the childlike cuteness.

Her eyes flashed up at him.

“Heartu,” he offered her finger hearts.

“You’ve lost your mind,” she threw her hand over her mouth.

“Smile for me,” he whined.

“You’re at a level five aegyo, and I’m going to need you to bring it back to a one,” she pleaded with him.

He raised his voice and let out a child-like squeal. “You’re making YoonGi-ya sad!”

She burst into a barrage of giggles as he took a long drink of his wine. He then sat back and sighed.

“You have no shame,” she sat back in her seat.

“I have no regrets,” he shrugged his shoulders.

“That was the cringiest I’ve ever seen you. Jimin would be proud.”

“You made me do it,” he accused her. “You make me crazy.”

She took another drink of her wine before licking her bottom lip. “Good.”

After their meal, MinYeon read over her messages while YoonGi drove. When he passed the bridge to Gwanak-gu, she looked up. “Do you remember when we first started dating... and you would ask me things like, “Can I come over? Can I see you? Can I spend time with you?” and things like that?”

“I don’t have to do that anymore.”

“Why?” she sniggered at him.

He very calmly opened the console between them and retrieved a sharpie marker. As she watched him closely, he pulled her hand toward him. When he stopped at a light, he gently scribbled something in English as the left side of his lip curled up in a smile.

“Smile?” she read the words as he took off again.

“Yes.”

“Although I am impressed with the one English word I’ve ever seen you write, I’m working with Got7 in the morning and then class is in the afternoon and evening. I need some sleep.”

“You can sleep while I pack for Taipei.”

She ran her fingers through her hair and sighed.

“I want to sleep with my pillow tonight.”

She rolled her eyes before answering. “Okay.”

They walked into the mansion to find NamJoon speaking to someone over FaceTime, while SeokJin and Hannah waved and spoke from behind him.

“Oh! Just in time!” Hannah grabbed MinYeon’s hand and pulled her over. “Seouli, this is MinYeon-ie!” she spoke in English.

“It is so nice to meet you!”

“You too,” she smiled.

“Nice job, Yoongs!”

He grinned at her. “How are you, Seouli?” he asked in English.

“Oh my God, did you...”

“He did!”

“That was amazing! I’m great too, by the way. I can’t wait to see you all in a few months.”

“It will be a lot different than the last time we were there,” NamJoon spoke to his girlfriend.

“Okay, got to go, bye!” YoonGi pulled MinYeon by the wrist toward the stairs.

“Wait, we just...” she tried to stop him.

“I can give her your contact info,” Hannah giggled.

“Thank you!”

Once they made it to his room, she stopped and turned to him. “For someone who likes his space, you sure are smothering me.”

“Since when do you not like attention?”

“I love it. I just wonder when you’re going to get tired of it.”

“I have time right now and I want to spend it with you.”

“Okay,” she spoke slowly.

“You’ve had a bad day. I just wanted to make you smile.”

She sighed before resting her cheek against his shoulder. “That’s all?”

“If that’s all I can get… yes.”

“Okay,” she nodded.

“Give me those lips, baby,” he grinned before kissing her. “I just opened a new bottle of whiskey. Have a few while I pack.”

“Good idea,” she pulled away and grabbed a glass from his collection.

By the time he had closed his bag, he looked up to see her on her side, rolled away, sound asleep. He rolled his eyes before turning out the light. This might very well be his last night with her. He pulled off his shirt and crawled up behind her.

“You’re still in your clothes, Aegi.”

“Hmph,” she answered drunkenly.

“Shall I… help?”

“Sure,” she raised her arm to let him unbutton the wrist. She then offered the second. He smiled as he unbuttoned the rest and pushed the soft fabric from her shoulders. He pressed his lips against her skin and enjoyed the scent of her perfume as he unzipped her skirt. With little help, he had her down to her lacy, white panties when he realized that she was asleep.

He sighed in disappointment before pulling the duvet up over them both and doing the same.

#

MinYeon opened her eyes and heard laughter float up from the kitchen. She sighed as she reached over to check her phone. It was two in the morning. That meant…

She quietly found her blouse and buttoned it before pattering down the stairs to see what Jimin and JeongGuk were up to.

“There’s my twin!” Jimin swayed drunkenly before pulling her in for a hug. “You’re cute. I should take you home with me and keep you in a cage.”

“I’m high maintenance,” she quipped.

“I’ll buy a sparkly cage.”

“You two are weird,” JeongGuk glared at them.

They laughed as Jimin reached for a glass. “Want a drink?”

“Of course,” she pulled up a stool to the kitchen bar and waited.

“He is way ahead of you,” JeongGuk warned her.

“I doubt that,” she smirked before tipping back her head.

“Silly me,” he laughed at her.

She pushed the empty glass back at him. “What did you do tonight?”

“I believe her name was Emma.”

“American?”

“Australian,” he smirked before pushing her glass back to her.

“Details,” she licked her bottom lip.

“You’re a dirty girl, Noona,” JeongGuk shook his head before walking out.

“He’s gone,” Jimin quipped. “And I’m starving.”

She looked him over, noting that he was still quite thin. “What do you have?”

“Um… spicy triangle gimbap,” he rolled his eyes around in thought. “Eggs.”

“What if…” her eyes lit up. “Yes! We are doing this!”

“Fuck yeah!” he followed her to the stove.

She chopped up the gimbap with kitchen shears as he read the word on her hand.

“Smile?” he hummed.

She nodded silently. “I had a bad day. He was trying to cheer me up.”

“By marking his territory?”

She again nodded.

“Are you in a better mood now?”

“I’m always in a better mood when I’m with you,” she smiled.

“Same,” he lightly beat a few eggs and poured them into a pan as they returned to drinking.

“So…” he licked his lips before asking. “How are you and my hyung doing?”

“Good. Why?”

“Good. That’s it?”

“It’s not bad,” she frowned.

“It’s not amazing either, considering that you’re standing in my kitchen in your lacy panties and not much else.”

“Nothing happened tonight,” she shrugged he shoulders.

“My members are under the impression that you’re together… and he doesn’t exactly correct them.”

“That’s not my problem.”

He looked her over before shaking his head. “That is horrible.”

“Why?”

He leaned closer and whispered. “If you were in my bed tonight, you wouldn’t be down here now.”

Her breath caught in her throat as she looked up into his eyes. “You seem sure about that.”

“I’m very sure,” he teased her.

“Where’s Emma then?”

He pulled away as his eyes widened, earning a laugh from her.

She turned to place the chopped-up rice and seaweed rolls onto the eggs and then roll it into a mini omorice.

“Brilliant!” he clapped his hands together as she plated their creation. He dashed off to the refrigerator as she sliced it into portions and returned with gochujang sauce. They then returned to the bar and shoved in the first bites.

“Oh my God,” he moaned.

“Fuck yes,” she followed as she breathed through the heat.

He licked his lips repeatedly, the spice burning and tingling them, causing them to swell and redden. “This is the best thing I’ve ever made.”

“You mixed the eggs,” she smirked before taking a long drink of beer.

“I still helped,” he laughed.

“True.”

He watched her with a smile on his face. “Just when I thought my night couldn’t get any better, my favorite person is spending the night with me. I’m glad you’re here.”

“Me too,” she glanced down at the rings on his fingers. “I like that one.”

He lifted his hand as she slid off a band of three rows of black diamonds. She slid it onto her third finger and admired the fit as he poured two more glasses for them.

“I like the Chanel bag,” she watched as he burst into a bright grin.

“I knew you would. Chanel suits you very well,” he nodded. “So does blue, but I have a feeling that’s not your favorite color.”

“Pink and peach,” she answered, hoping to receive a response from him.

He cleared his throat and shifted in his seat.

She licked her lips and hummed at his reaction, extremely satisfied.

“You know, if you had moved to Seoul when your brother was a trainee, we would have gone to school together.”

“That would have been boring,” she giggled. “I was hell-bent on memorizing every book on the planet in school.”

“What else did you do?”

“Concert pianist… classical guitar… dance…”

“You dance?” he flashed his eyes at her.

She nodded her head silently.

“Show me.”

“Not today,” she looked around. “People are sleeping.”

“True,” he nodded. “Why don’t you pick out a movie and I’ll go change,” he looked around the kitchen. “Don’t worry about the mess, the kitchen’s my responsibility anyway.”

She nodded and watched him walk off up the stairs before letting out a content sigh. Picking up the remote, she lowered the volume and flipped through channels before landing on a movie that had only just started.

Jimin lay on the sofa and waited as MinYeon draped herself down his side. They snuggled in together and he pulled a fluffy blue duvet over them. He then took the remote and dropped it onto the floor beside him.

“This is nice,” he whispered.

“It is,” she closed her eyes and took in a deep breath, enjoying the scent of his cologne. She smiled as she brushed her nose up his neck.

“Hey,” he warned her.

“You want me to stop?” she teased him.

“JK’s still up,” he spoked softly into her hair.

“Ah,” she slid her hand up his shirt and rested it against his stomach.

They calmed down for a bit until she absentmindedly brushed her toes down his leg. He responded by lightly sweeping his fingertips up the back of her thigh. A chill climbed her spine as she rolled her body against him, earning a scowl from him.

“Min-ah,” he warned her softly.

“You smell so good,” she grazed the skin of his belly with her nails.

“Baby...” he begged her to stop.

“You haven’t even kissed me yet,” she smiled as her eyes fell to his lips.

He licked his bottom lip as his eyes, too, fell to her perfect heart-shaped mouth.

He closed his eyes as he pressed his lips against hers. Their lips brushed together repeatedly as the world went silent around them.

She brought her hands up to his chest, and then his neck, grabbing onto him as if he were a life preserver in a dizzying sea of emotion swirling around her head.

She stole his breath, but he refused to pull away. His chest felt like a thunderstorm building, and each heart beat a bolt of thunder. No one else on the planet existed at that moment, proving to him that every kiss he had before this one had been wrong. Completely wrong.

He gently sucked on her lips, moving his head to the side before slipping his tongue against hers. She felt as though her body were dissolving into his, melting together in a way that was more sensual than any sexual act could ever.

She had always wondered what it would be like to kiss him, and the reality couldn’t be more perfect. He was her favorite person, with her favorite set of cheeks, with her favorite set of eyes, with her favorite set of lips, and now her favorite person to kiss.

It was quite honestly the most perfect first kiss she had ever experienced.

She flashed her eyes open, wondering what other things he was going to excel all other men in.

“This is now my new favorite thing in the whole world.”

“What is?”

“Kissing you,” he cooed. “I love it more than breathing, I think.”

“You love it even more than my squishy cheeks?” She teased him.

“I love it even more than staring at your ass,” he kissed her.

“That’s impressive,” she brushed her nose across his. “You stare at my ass a lot.”

“Right?” He pushed her hair over her shoulders and looked into her eyes. “I think we just fucked up, Min-ah. I have no idea how I’m ever going to be able to stop kissing you.”

“Never stop,” she pleaded before pressing her lips against his again.

He brushed the tip of his tongue across her as his fingertips inched up under her shirt to the lace of her white panties as she kneaded her fingertips against his solid chest.

“Baby,” he growled lowly as he pulled away. She saw the conflict in his as she leaned in for another kiss. “Min-ah,” he smirked. “You came here tonight to spend the night with my hyung. He is… right upstairs. We can’t do this right now.”

“I have to go to work in a few hours too,” she pouted.

“Okay,” he rolled his eyes reluctantly while running his fingers through his blonde hair.

“Okay,” she repeated before snuggling back into his side.

He kissed her forehead and closed his eyes.

A few hours later, when YoonGi opened his eyes, MinYeon had still not returned to his side. He ran his fingers through his hair and waited for a moment before slowly dressing and walking off to find her.

He came to the kitchen first, taking in the bottles, glasses, pans, and dishes everywhere. There was one slice of the mini omorice left, which he sniffed at and quickly pulled away. “Wow,” his eyes widened as the smell from the spice caught in his throat. He then walked off to the living room to find Jimin and MinYeon, snuggled up on the couch under a blanket, sound asleep.

He crossed his arms and tilted his head, watching them closely.

“What is that smell?” TaeHyung walked up beside him.

“Whatever that shit is on the bar,” he smirked. “They are dangerous together.”

“You’re just now figuring that out?” he smirked. “It’s like they share a brain.”

“Yeah,” he rolled his eyes. “She’s supposed to be in the studio with Got7 this morning and then class the rest of the day.”

“I’ll take her home, hyung.”

“Thanks,” he nodded before walking off to get ready.

He continued to watch his friends for a moment before kneeling down to wake MinYeon. “Yeon-ah…” he sang. “Time to go.”

She stretched her arms before opening her eyes.

“Hyung-ie said you need to get ready for work.”

“Yeah,” she sighed before looking up to see that Jimin was still asleep. “He forgot to take off his makeup last night,” she smirked.

“He does that when he’s drunk,” he nodded.

“I’ll go get my stuff.”

“Hyung’s in the shower, I’ll take you home.”

“Thanks,” she pattered off as Jimin popped open an eye.

They were both quiet until they heard YoonGi’s door close.

“Seriously?” TaeHyung hissed at him.

“What?”

“You slept with our hyung’s girlfriend?”

“No!” he quickly sat up. “She’s not his girlfriend.”

“Jimin-ie!” he hissed.

“We didn’t do anything,” he sighed.

“You just got drunk, made crappy food, and cuddled on the sofa together?” he crossed his arms.

“That’s exactly what we did,” he ran his fingers through his hair. “And now I’m going to bed,” he grabbed the blanket and walked up the stairs to his room.

TaeHyung rolled his head back and sighed before shaking his head.

#

MinYeon arrived early to the studio and picked up a guitar. She tuned it and began playing around before singing lowly.

Party girls don't get hurt  
Can't feel anything, when will I learn  
I push it down, push it down

Jackson stopped in the doorway and leaned against his arm as he closed his eyes and listened to her. He knew of her reputation for being a great songwriter and producer, but he had no idea she had a voice that could send shivers up his spine.

I'm the one "for a good time call"  
Phone's blowin' up, ringin' my doorbell  
I feel the love, feel the love

_1, 2, 3, 1, 2, 3 drink_  
_1, 2, 3, 1, 2, 3 drink_  
_1, 2, 3, 1, 2, 3 drink_  
  
_Throw 'em back, till I lose count_  
  
_I'm gonna swing from the chandelier_  
_From the chandelier_  
_I'm gonna live like tomorrow doesn't exist_  
_Like it doesn't exist_  
_I'm gonna fly like a bird through the night_  
_Feel my tears as they dry_  
_I'm gonna swing from the chandelier_  
_From the chandelier_

She sighed as she strummed a few times and looked up at him.

“I’m in awe of your talent,” he bowed to her as he spoke in English.

“Stop,” she looked away. “I have an idea. Your voice would sound amazing for it.”

“Fuck yeah,” he slid into the chair beside her.

“Look up the lyrics to Leonard Cohen’s ‘Hallelujah’ and sing along, my man,” she grinned as she kept strumming.

“Yes. Let’s do this.”

_[Now I've heard there was a secret chord  
](https://genius.com/Leonard-cohen-hallelujah-lyrics#note-36705) [That David played, and it pleased the Lord](%20) _  
_[But you don't really care for music, do ya?](%20) _  
_[It goes like this, the fourth, the fifth](%20) _  
_[The minor fall, the major lift](%20) _  
_[The baffled king composing "Hallelujah"](%20) _

_[Hallelujah, Hallelujah](%20) _  
_[Hallelujah, Hallelujah](%20) _

“You should totally record that,” BamBam walked in and looked around, interrupting them completely. “That was amazing.”

“Jackson Wang featuring KMY.”

“Mina Kim,” she corrected him. “And we need to get to work,” she sighed before opening her production notes and reading over them.

“Are you okay?” Jackson watched her. “You’re usually a little peppier than this.”

“Whisky with Min YoonGi followed by beer and shitty food with Park Jimin,” she shook her head. “I should learn my limit,” she smirked.

“Ah,” he laughed. “You poor thing.”

“Yeah,” she turned back to her work.

Jimin lay in bed and stared at the ceiling as TaeHyung stepped in to check on him. Since Hoseok was in the shower, he sat on his bed and watched his best friend. “I’m sorry I yelled at you this morning.”

“No… I deserved it,” he rubbed his eyes. “I’m such an idiot.”

“So you did sleep with her?”

“No,” he blinked his eyes.

“Bro, she was half-nude…”

“She stayed here with hyung-ie. She heard Gukkie and me in the kitchen and came down like that.”

“Then what happened?”

“I can’t do this anymore, bro,” he sat up and ran his fingers through his hair. “I can’t keep pushing her away. I can’t lay in bed, down the hall, when I know she’s fucking my hyung just so she can see me.”

“What?”

“She has this idiotic idea that if she breaks off her relationship with Hyung-ie, he’ll refuse to let me see her.”

“See her? Or date her?”

He bit his lip. “It is… so much more than that.”

“Ahhhhh,” he plopped back onto the bed. “I knew it.”

“I was okay. I was able to push her away… and then… I kissed her.”

“Shit.”

“Shit,” he repeated. “I don’t know what to do.”

“I think you should talk to her. You need to be on the same page before you do anything else.”

He sighed.

“Please don’t do what I think you’re thinking,” he kicked his leg.

He cocked his eyebrow and looked up at him.

“There are other ways. You can’t leave me.”

He stared at him for a moment before nodding his head.

YoonGi checked his phone. He had sent MinYeon a message that hadn’t been answered, and he was becoming frustrated. His mother watched him from their computer chat for a moment before intervening.

“Tell me about her.”

He raised his eyebrows and looked up at her, his dog resting in his lap. “Who?”

“The girl not responding to your texts,” she smirked at him.

He slowly smiled at her. “Her name is Kim MinYeon. She’s a music producer and composer.”

“So she stays busy like you?”

“Even more so. She’s working on her master’s degree as well.”

“She’s smart?”

“She has a photographic memory. Her parents are both teachers and her brother has a PhD. It is expected.”

“Ah.”

He browsed through his photos and found his favorite. He then turned the screen around to show her the photo.

“She’s beautiful.”

“Ne.”

“Is she famous?”

“She is quickly becoming popular. She goes by KMY. She’s actually in the studio with Got7 today.”

She watched him for a moment. “How serious is it?”

“It’s not,” he sighed. “She’s in love with someone else.”

“Oh YoonKi,” she sighed. “You love her.”

“I messed up and pushed her away and now… she’s moved on.”

“What a mess,” she complained.

“Exactly,” he laughed. “At least I’ll still get to see her.”

“One of your members?”

“Jimin-ie,” he smirked. “They’re actually pretty damned perfect together.”

“I’m sorry.”

“I honestly like her so much… I’m willing to stand back and remain friends with her.”

“Good luck,” she laughed.

“Mom,” he whined as she laughed harder.

#

MinYeon stepped off the train and glanced at her phone to see that Jimin was calling her. She looked around for a moment before answering.

“Yeobosayo?”

“Nae ssungdungi,” he purred. “Are you busy at the moment?”

“I just finished for the day.”

“Can I come over?”

“Mwo?” she raised her eyebrows as her heart nearly flipped in her chest. Was that a good idea? Would they be able to control themselves around one another… alone?

“I know… I just… I need someone to talk to and you’re the only one who… really gets me.”

She nodded her understanding before letting out a giggle. “That can get dangerous.”

“I’m aware,” he sighed.

“Okay. I should be there in about five minutes.”

“I’ll begin walking and meet you there.”

“Okay,” she ended the call and smiled before dashing off toward her apartment.

She met him at the door and led him in, pressing the code and walking onto the elevator. “Are you okay?” she asked as the doors closed.

“No,” he answered honestly.

She looked ahead and nodded. She led him into the apartment where they immediately kicked off their shoes. He followed her to the sofa where they plopped down and faced one another.

“I’m thinking about leaving the group.”

She raised her eyebrows and watched him, waiting to see if there was more.

“I’m not as good as them. I had to take vocal lessons from the beginning, and I’m still not that good. My throat gets sore and my voice constantly cracks on stage… I just bring them all down,” he ran his fingers through his hair. “I can’t even write a fucking song, what am I doing here?”

“Good thing I’m studying to be a music teacher,” she smiled for him. “There’s nothing that’s such a big problem that it can’t be helped.”

“This can’t be fixed.”

“Of course it can,” she watched him. “But that’s not the problem… you have one of the most recognizable voices in the world.” She rolled her eyes around in thought for a moment. “You’re lying.”

His eyes grew huge as he glared at her. “What?!”

“You have a world of confidence. You’d never have made it through an audition if you didn’t.”

“Barely. I get so nervous I can barely function…”

“More lies. The adrenaline rush while performing is addictive. It’s why we do it.”

He stared into her eyes, loving her brutally honest feedback yet wanting to slap her for ripping him apart.

“You tell your members that you’re not worthy and that you’re bringing them down, but you’re disappointing yourself because you aren’t trying as hard as you did when you were a trainee.”

He let her words absorb for a moment. “I don’t.”

“As a trainee, you were busy with rehearsal, lessons, and finding yourself within the group. I’ve had this same conversation with Gukkie… You don’t have to work that hard anymore. It’s like graduating college, you can just show up and do your job now. If you haven’t learned how to do your job by now, you’d be worthless. That’s not the case, Jimin-ah…”

He ran his fingers through his hair. “How can you say those things so calmly?”

“Because it’s the truth?”

He shook his head.

“We have a hard time saying what we mean because we always want to please the people around us. We don’t like hurting their feelings, even if it kills us. Let go of your burden. Tell me the truth.”

He raised his eyebrows. “What if you’re my burden?”

“That might be a problem,” she watched him. “Am I… a problem for you?”

“No,” he looked around for a moment, gathering his words. “I’m afraid of hurting my hyung. I have a tendency of helping people to the detriment of myself. If I choose his happiness this time, I’ll lose the chance of being with you. If I leave the group, I can be with you without worrying about him.”

“I was going to commit to him so I could see you. You’re just going to leave them all? Could you do that? Could you really just leave your brothers and walk away from everything you’ve worked so hard for?”

“I can’t hurt you.”

She looked away for a moment. “What makes you think I’ll stay with him?”

He raised his eyebrows.

“If there is one thing I’ve learned the past few weeks… it’s that I am completely sure that I am not meant to be with YoonGi. You won’t hurt me,” she reached for his hand. “I promise. You need to follow your heart. If that’s not with me, then…” she lost her voice.

He looked back down at their interlocked fingers. “I’ve been told that the best relationships—like, long-lasting, love-of-your-life ones—usually start off with good friendships. I have felt a pull to you from the moment you walked into my rehearsal room. You are the only person I can imagine myself with. You are the only person I can imagine a future with. I am… so in love with you, nae ssangdungi…”

She could feel his vulnerability and sincerity in his words. She finally smiled as every molecule in her body burst with happiness. For the first time in her life, she wasn’t afraid. She didn’t dread a commitment. She was talking to the man she loved about their future together and wasn’t suppressing panic.

“Baby…” he sighed. “Since the moment I kissed you, I have never wanted anyone more… and that scares the shit out of me.”

“Me too,” she whispered. “It’s been increasingly more difficult to focus for the past two months. These are… really new feelings for me. I’ve never even said the words in a romantic way before.”

“It’s time.”

She bit her lip and nodded her head before bursting into laughter. “This is crazy. We’re both insane. And I love you.”

He smiled before pulling her into his arms for a kiss. “I love you, too,” he whispered against her lips.

She slowly snaked her arms around his neck while pushing her body against his. He rested his hands on her hips as he brushed his tongue across her lips, earning a light moan from her that earned a smile in return. She opened her eyes and looked up into his before sucking his bottom lip into her mouth. He pushed his warm hands down, over her rounded hips and pulled her closer, leaving no question as to the degree of his arousal.

He lifted her up into his arms and carried her through the apartment, and into the bedroom. He gently sat her down on the bed, pulling off his shirt with one swift motion and tossing it aside. Her hands quickly found him and before he had a chance to do anything else, she had pushed him down and straddled his legs. As she eagerly pulled at his belt, he slowly slid his hands up her skirt. His fingertips pushed past the elastic of her panties, and she closed her eyes to let out a shuttered sigh.

“You’re so warm and wet,” his eyes sparkled as he watched her reaction to his touch.

Her body rolled against him as he slipped a finger inside, feeling her muscles tightening down immediately.

“Have you been thinking about me too?” he whispered.

“Every day,” she admitted before she bit her lip.

His body lurched as a gurgle formed deep within his chest. He pulled his hand from her and pushed her back, sliding his jeans down his hips before all but yanking down her panties and skirt with one movement. She was sure he was going to shred the rest of her clothes and intervened, not bothering to unbutton her blouse as she yanked it over her head.

He crawled up her body, running the tip of his tongue over her skin until he once again claimed her lips. She hooked her thigh over his hip and brought her hands to his neck as he pushed inside her, pausing as they both let out a moan.

He stopped and rested his forehead against hers, savoring the feel of her. “Baby,” he whispered.

She grasped the back of his hair with both hands as she clamped her eyes shut, emotions stirring in her chest that she wasn’t prepared for. She opened her eyes and blinked away tears as he smiled down at her.

“Are you crying?”

“Shut up,” she murmured against his lips as he began to move.

She pushed against his shoulders and arched her back as he pulled her hips sharply against his, repeating the action until she yelled out in pleasure and her body quivered around his.

“You seemed to like that,” he brushed his nose against hers before falling onto the bed, pulling her atop him.

“Don’t stop,” she kissed his chest before tilting her hips to take him deeper.

“Oh my God,” his eyes widened as he sat up to hold her close to him, his heart beating wildly against his chest.

She dug her fingers into his shoulders as she rocked her hips in a ferocious rhythm. He bit on the skin on her neck, leaving a mark as he pumped as deeply as he possibly could inside of her.

"Oh!" she let out a moan. “Oh fuck!”

He held tightly to her as her body erupted in sheer pleasure. She threw her head back in a struggle to breathe as her muscles continued to twitch and pulse around him. He rubbed his hands up her sides and slowed down. “We’re not in a rush,” he whispered. “Catch your breath.”

She stared into his eyes, as something stirred in his chest. She brushed her fingertips down him before leaning down to kiss him with more passion than she thought she was capable of.

He sat up and slid his arms around her as she wrapped her legs around his waist. They took turns kissing, licking and nipping at one another before slowly moving. Their breathing deepened as they held tightly together while rocking back and forth on the bed. They were slow and gentle, holding on to each other as if to never let go.

This time, they exploded together, their bodies syncopated in reciprocating rhythm. They stopped moving, tightening their grip on one another while drenched in perspiration, desperately trying to catch their breaths.

They stayed there a long while, kissing and cuddling with as little movement as possible as they willed the world to continue without them until they dropped to the bed in sheer exhaustion.

“How many songs have you written?” he asked as he smiled at her.

“A lot. Why?”

“I’m trying to figure out how long we can stay in bed until we’re both broke.”

She giggled as he kissed her. “Not long enough.”

“Aish,” he cursed.

They heard buzzing and looked around the room as he popped up to grab his jeans. He pulled out his phone and sighed. “We’ve got a last-minute photo shoot,” he sighed. “Shit.”

“Good idea. Save up now so that we can retire and then stay in bed.”

“Awesome idea,” he kissed her. “We also have dinner with the 95-Liners tonight.”

“That’s tonight,” she sighed. “Okay.”

“Take a nap,” he kissed her before smacking her on the ass and walking off to get dressed. “It’s going to be a late night.”

She watched him throw on his clothes before kissing her one last time. “What the hell have we done?”

“You’re in trouble now,” he purred before dashing off.

“Yeah,” she whispered. “I know.”

#

“Bband-tteok!” JeongHan hugged her as soon as she stepped through the doors of the private dining room.

“Hi,” she giggled as Jimin looked up from speaking with TaeYong and Yuta.

“There she is,” he grinned before taking a drink.

“You look sexy,” TaeHyung kissed her cheek.

“I like the hair,” she grinned as Hwasa pulled her away.

“It’s been a process,” he ran his fingers through his platinum hair.

“I can imagine,” she turned to meet WheeIn and Hei. “Hello!”

“You are so pretty!” WheeIn hugged her immediately. “Wow!”

“Right?!” Hwasa wrapped her arms around her as she spoke. “We became friends immediately. She’s awesome.”

“Wow, the new girl’s hot,” Johnny growled, catching Jimin’s attention. “Does she have a boyfriend? Does anyone know?”

“No, she has a Jimin,” Joshua quipped as TaeHyung burst into laughter.

“So true!” he elbowed his best friend.

Jimin pursed his lips arrogantly before nodding his head. “She doesn’t need a boyfriend with me around.”

“That’s hot,” Yuta nodded at him.

“Hello!” MinYeon joined the table.

“We have more people for you to meet, Squishy,” JeongHan leaned into her. “Johnny, TaeYong, and Yuta from NCT…”

“Yuta? Nihonjindesu ka?

“Yes, I’m from Osaka,” he responded in Japanese.

“My Obahan was born in Sakai Ward,” she spoke in a perfect dialect as his eyes brightened in excitement.

“I’m from Nishi Ward!”

“Ariehen!” she clapped her hands together.

“Are you Japanese?”

“No… Zainichi,” her voice softened as she referred to a group of ethnic Koreans who resided in Japan as immigrants after World War II.

“Oh… sorry.”

“It’s fine,” she nodded her head. “She has fond memories of her birthplace.”

“You speak like a native,” he offered her.

“Ookini. I learn… very quickly,” her cheeks flushed slightly as Jimin laughed at her.

“Don’t be so modest. She has a photographic memory. She knows several languages.”

She rolled her eyes at him.

“Really?” Johnny growled lowly. “Chinese?”

She nodded modestly. “English and Spanish as well.”

“My Squishy is very smart,” JeongHan placed a glass of soju in front of her as Jimin turned his eyes to him.

“You’re being extremely possessive tonight,” she flashed her eyes at JeongHan.

“I’m not fighting Jimin-ie for your attention,” he spoke lowly.

She grinned as she flashed her eyes across the table and locked with him. “I’ve lost his interest,” she teased him.

“Lies,” he laughed. “That’s not possible.”

“I don’t lie,” she lied before taking a drink.

“Lies,” everyone at the table replied before bursting into laughter.

“Okay, okay, okay. I was told a story…” Joshua spoke to Kei.

“More like an urban legend,” S.Coups corrected him.

“Whatever. Apparently, in the 90s… there were groups who used to get together in secret and have like… tremendous orgies!”

MinYeon, Jimin, and JeongHan each raised their eyebrows and turned toward him.

“That caught the attention of the Libras,” Johnny burst into laughter.

“Think about it! We can’t date!” Hwasa tipped her head back.

“Speak for yourself,” WheeIn giggled.

“A weekend of copious amounts of sex with your best friends,” Yuta laughed. “I get it!”

“Only if you don’t get caught,” MinYeon rolled her eyes around. “It’s doable.”

“You’re considering it,” JeongHan turned to her.

“Aren’t you?”

“You are so kinky,” Hwasa accused her.

“It’s a blessing and a curse,” she shrugged her shoulders before looking down at her phone. She frowned before walking off to answer.

“Oppa?” she answered lowly while looking out the window. Her brother hadn’t spoken to her since he caught her in ChanYeol’s room.

“MinYeon-ah,” he sighed. “Can you talk?”

“I’m at dinner with my friends,” she answered.

“Okay. Can I come over tomorrow?”

“When?”

“I’ll call you before I leave.”

“Okay,” she rolled her eyes out to the street. “I’m sorry.”

“We’ll talk tomorrow.”

“Okay.”

“Okay,” he hung up.

She looked down at her phone and bit her lip as she felt a set of hands slide onto her shoulders.

“Is everything okay?” he purred into her ear.

“I fucked up,” she looked up at him.

“What’s wrong, Baby?”

“While you were in Saipan… I may have… gotten caught in Channie’s room… by my brother.”

“Oh shit!” he looked down at her. “Seriously?”

“That was the first time he’s spoken to me since and it didn’t sound good.”

“What can I do?”

“I don’t know what I can do,” she shook her head.

“Aish,” he pulled her into his arms. “Okay. Nothing can be done tonight. Right?”

“Ne,” she sighed.

“So… tonight we drink. Worry about it tomorrow.”

“That’s a big help,” she laughed incredulously.

“It’ll work out. Trust me?”

She looked up at him. “I trust you.”

“Come on,” he took her by the hand and pulled her back to the table.

“Is everything okay?” JeongHan looked up at her.

“It will be,” she smiled before returning to her seat.

“Keep her glass filled,” Jimin nodded to him.

“My pleasure,” he grinned.

#

MinYeon, Jimin, and TaeHyung stumbled through her door a few hours later and went directly to the kitchen.

“Do you have ramen?” TaeHyung looked through the cabinets.

“Of course,” she opened the refrigerator and retrieved pork belly and spring onion.

“We are doing this,” Jimin grabbed a crock from the cupboard and heated up the stove.

MinYeon cut up pork belly and fried it as Jimin chopped green onion. He turned and threw it into the pan before reaching for the red pepper powder. He tossed in a few spoonfuls and glanced up at her, waiting.

“Two more,” she nodded.

He tossed in two more spoonfuls before unwrapping a package of chopped chicken. “Tell me when you’re ready.”

She stirred and stirred, waiting patiently for the pork to cook. “Okay.”

He threw the chicken in and pattered off to retrieve an appropriate amount of boiled water.

“Not too spicy,” TaeHyung stepped back and crossed his arms.

“If it’s too spicy, you should drink more,” she smirked at him.

“If you drink it fast, you can’t taste it,” Jimin teased him.

“You two are dangerous,” he shook his head.

“Thank you,” they answered together.

By the time the three sat down to eat, cheese and egg had been added and the recipe dubbed ‘MinMin’s Killer Ramen.’

“This is awesome,” TaeHyung spoke with a mouthful.

“You hate spicy,” Jimin breathed as MinYeon tipped her head back with unflavored soju.

“I’m not as drunk as you either,” he agreed.

“I know!” he laughed.

“We need to write this down,” she quipped.

“Are you fucking serious?” he laughed at her.

“Ne,” she licked her lips as she stared at him.

“You’re crazy,” he dropped his eyes to her lips.

“You’re really going to do this? In front of my ramen?” TaeHyung complained.

They both turned to him. “What?”

“You’ve been all over each other for months, and then suddenly tonight you sat across the table. I’m not an idiot.”

“I never said you were,” she watched him.

“We all know you’d be good together,” he shrugged his shoulders. “You just need to figure it out.”

“Who is we?”

“We,” he shook his head. “All six of us. You just need to make up your mind and tell hyung-ie.”

“I’ve made up my mind,” she whispered.

Jimin sat quietly and looked between his two best friends.

“That just leaves you,” TaeHyung turned to him.

“I have to keep her safe.”

“I think that’s a burden we should all bear.”

“No it isn’t,” she disagreed. “We can just… keep doing what we’re doing.”

“At what expense, Yeon-ah? You have no idea how people feel about you, do you?”

She frowned as she stared at him. “What?”

“She has no idea,” Jimin smirked at him.

She looked between them.

“It’s the same way people feel when they meet him,” TaeHyung nodded at her with a knowing smile.

“Oh!” threw her hand over her mouth while laughing. “Really?!”

“What?” he glared at her.

“Okay,” TaeHyung sat back. “Imagine meeting an angel. They’re beautiful and perfect and always put their friends before themselves… even when they make a poor decision, they can justify it perfectly… and you can never be angry with them because they always try to do the right thing. They’re addictive to be around because they make you feel special and amazing and make you want to be a better person. They work harder than anyone will ever know, but they make their entire life look flawlessly beautiful and they’re good at everything they do.”

They looked off in thought for a moment before turning to one another.

“That’s both of you!” he yelled at them. “You are exactly the same!”

“Oh!”

He rolled his eyes in disbelief. “The way you feel about one another… is the way everyone else feels about you.”

“Really?” she seemed mortified by this information. “Why?”

“Because you’re amazing!” he laughed. “I adore both of you. And I really want you both to be happy.”

Jimin stared at the table. “That’s impossible while we’re in Bangtan.”

“Aish,” he agreed reluctantly.

“This conversation is much too deep for the amount I’ve had to drink tonight,” she pushed away from the table and carried her bowl to the sink.

“Sorry,” he sighed.

“She’ll be fine,” he patted his hand. “Thank you.”

“Should I call a taxi?”

“Do you want to?” he glanced over his shoulder at the sofa.

“It’s comfy,” he shrugged his shoulders.

“I’ll find some pajamas…”

They looked up as MinYeon returned from her room with a set of oversized Burberry pajamas, duvet, and pillow and dropped it onto the table. “They were going to be your birthday present, but… I’ll find something else,” she smiled at him.

He laughed at her before jumping up to hug her. “Thank you,” he kissed her cheek.

“Goodnight,” she nodded before walking back to her room.

“Get ‘er, tiger,” he slapped his arm before walking off to the sofa.

He smiled before carrying the dishes to the kitchen and cleaning up. When he finally slipped into her bedroom, she was sitting in bed in a pair of lacy pink panties and camisole, responding to messages on her phone.

“Are you tired?” he unbuttoned his crisp, white oxford while walking to the bathroom.

“I took a nap. Someone told me it would be a long night,” she glanced up at him.

He smirked at her playfully before walking into the bathroom to wash his face and brush the hair product out of his hair. He stripped down to his black jockeys before sliding in beside her, dropping his phone onto the nightstand and wrapping her up in his arms. He kissed her while pulling her phone out of her hand.

“Wh…” she protested as he laughed at her.

“Your attention belongs to me right now,” he whispered.

“Always,” she kissed him.

This was different. This wasn’t a hook-up or meaningless sex. This wasn’t a quick connection so he could redress and go home. He was in her bed, spending the night with her. This was really happening.

Each kiss felt like an event, and each touch a firework show. She would never get tired of feeling his hands on her body, no matter how long this lasted.

He wasn’t used to taking his time. He wasn’t hiding in a love motel or the dank hallway of a seedy club. He was actually making love to the woman of his dreams, the only woman in the world capable of holding his heart. It was an experience he never wanted to take for granted.

#

A buzzing sound woke her from a deep sleep as she felt his hand move up her thigh. She hummed as she snuggled into his chest and slid her leg up to rest across his hips. He moaned in his sleep, smacking his lips before kissing her forehead.

“Whose phone is that?” she growled lowly.

He looked up for a moment before dropping back down. “Yours.”

“Fuck,” she complained before reaching out to grab it, knowing who it was before answering. “Yeobosayo?”

“Are you still asleep?”

“I’m getting up now,” she breathed.

“You’re hungover,” he laughed at her.

“That’s ridiculous, I’m wide awake and fresh-faced,” she pulled her phone away to see that it was nearly noon. “Meet me for lunch? Brooklyn Burger?”

“Okay.”

“I’ll meet you there,” she ended the call and dropped the phone onto the bed.

“Your pants are going to burst into flames,” Jimin chuckled at her.

“That would require me wearing pants,” she kissed his chin.

He yawned before grabbing onto her ass and pulling her closer. “We have today and tomorrow off.”

“I’m working on a group project from home. I think Hwasa and WheeIn are coming over and JinYoung-ssi’s sending a file for me to listen to.”

“My busy girl,” he sighed. “Mind if I hang out just to be here?”

“Nope,” she smiled as he kissed her.

She then reached into the nightstand and pulled out a jewelry box. She smiled as she placed it in his hand and pulled away.

“What’s this?” he sat up and opened it to see the very nice chain.

“Your key,” she licked her lips before walking off to the bathroom.

His eyes followed her as he grinned at her. “How long have you had this?”

“Does it matter?”

He tilted his head and sighed. “Min-ah…” he placed it onto the nightstand and followed her into the bathroom. “Who was that for?”

“It’s just the spare key, and now it’s yours… unless you don’t want it.”

“Oh, it’s mine,” he pulled her into his arms. “Who was it originally for?”

“Whomever ended up earning it,” she answered plainly.

“So, my hyung?”

“Do you see him here?” she pushed back.

“What else were you willing to do to stay close to me?” he teased her.

“You are relentless.”

“I’m curious.”

“It doesn’t matter anymore, does it?” she kissed him.

“No,” he pushed her against the counter. He ran his hand down around her ass and pulled up her leg by the back of her thigh. He then pulled her hips against him as he kissed her deeply, taking her once more on the basin. He pounded into her quickly, their skin slapping together until they both exploded into bliss.

He grunted his release, kissing her over and over as he fought to catch his breath before resting his forehead against hers. “You need to go,” he smiled.

She hummed against his lips, grabbing his ass with both hands before sliding off the basin to land on her unsteady feet. She managed to pull herself away from him long enough to clean up and throw on an oversized shirt with a pair of shorts. TaeHyung popped an eye open as she walked out the front door and the shower started.

MinSeok cocked an eyebrow and looked up from his phone as his sister sauntered in and walked right up for a hug.

“I miscalculated the train,” she smiled up at him from under her Versace sunglasses.

“I saw the posts from the 95-Liner meet-up last night. Johnny did a live video from his Insta at three this morning.”

“Aish, I forgot they’re at SM too,” she sighed. “Yuta-san was very nice. He was impressed with my dialect.”

“You’ve always been better than me,” he watched her. “Let’s order.”

She took his hand and walked up to the counter. He smiled at a few fans who bowed to him before finding a table in a corner and sitting back.

She chewed on her lip for a moment before speaking. “I’m really sorry about the other morning. I fell asleep…”

“You’ve done it before?” he raised his eyebrows.

“No. Not since I moved into my place.”

He rolled his eyes around before speaking. “Do you comprehend at all that I am trying to keep you safe?”

She nodded silently.

“I don’t think you do, little sister. It’s not just from EXO-L or antis or sasaengs… my company isn’t known for having the best ethics when it comes to our private lives. If they go after you, I can’t protect you. I have a contract.”

“I’m so sorry,” she picked at her cup. “Tell me what to do.”

“Stop seeing him.”

“Done.”

“What?” he sat back.

“He’s not worth ruining my relationship with my brother. He’s a great friend and he’s your member, but you win. I’ll call him right now and tell him.”

“Oh. That was easier than I thought it would be. I’ve never in my life seen you make a decision that quickly,” he laughed.

“I’m… trying,” she admitted.

He reached across the table and took her hand. “Thank you.”

She nodded and sat back as their food was delivered to their table. He watched as she dug into her greasy burger and smirked. “This is the closest thing to an American burger in Seoul. So good,” she moaned blissfully.

He took a bite and agreed. “Nice.”

She stuffed a few fries into her mouth before wiping her fingertips onto a napkin.

“How are your classes coming along?”

“So far, so good. We’re working online today on a project. I don’t think it will take long. Hwasa and WheeIn are coming over to hang out. My place is becoming the place to hang out for idols wanting to hide from their managers,” she giggled.

“Good luck with that,” he laughed. “I assume YoonGi-ya’s included?”

She shook her head and took a drink. “I think that’s fizzling out. I’ve been really busy and he’s not texting like he used to.”

He tilted his head as he watched her. “So… you’re breaking things off with Channie and not seeing…” he raised his eyebrows. “Are you and Jimin finally together?”

Her mouth dropped open. “What?”

He burst out laughing. “Ha!”

“You knew?”

“Everyone knows! Even Eomma keeps asking if you’re together yet!”

“Shit,” she shook her head. “This is going to be the worst kept secret ever.”

“It already is. You know there’s a MinMin Youtube page, right? They analyze your body chemistry from fancams.”

“No,” she laughed. “Wow. TaeHyung-ie told me last night they’ve been waiting for us to make up our minds.”

“It’s such a relief to know you’re not complete dumb asses,” he relaxed.

She giggled before taking another bite. “So Channie’s a no, YoonGi you weren’t happy with, but Jimin-ie’s…”

“It makes sense. Whether we like it or not, it makes sense. You look good together.”

“We can’t be public. We’re going to keep an open relationship, which our parents won’t understand. I feel like I’d do anything to keep this safe because…”

“Wow, this is serious,” he watched her.

She nodded her head silently.

“Okay. What can I do?”

#

YoonGi glanced up in the mirror as he sat in hair and makeup and noticed that Jimin had joined them. He was fresh from a shower and his hair was still wet, but he was wide-eyed and grinning like an idiot as he sat in the vacant seat next to him.

“Where have you been?” he looked him over.

“I went to a new club with Min-ah last night,” he nodded.

“Are you even sober?” he smirked.

“Almost,” he laughed. “Give me a few minutes.”

He laughed as he sat back and relaxed. “How’s she doing?”

He glanced at his phone and shrugged his shoulders. “She’s great.”

He tilted his head as he watched him. “I think… we’re done.”

“What?” he looked up at him in the mirror.

“We got back from Saipan and I’ve barely seen her since. She’s always working when I try to speak to her, but she apparently has plenty of time to spend with you.”

He nodded as he went silent. He rolled his eyes around for a moment before taking in a deep breath. “I’m sorry, hyung. I couldn’t push her away any longer.”

“No you’re not,” he smirked at him.

“I didn’t want to hurt your feelings.”

He looked away for a moment. “It stings, but… it was inevitable. I expected it to happen two months ago…”

“That’s what TaeHyung-ie told us,” he sighed. “I didn’t realize how important it was to keep quiet until the moment we made a decision. Especially…”

“Have you told her?”

“No. I need to, she’s going to freak out if she finds out online.”

“Have you read them? They’re fairly graphic.”

“Yeah,” he sighed. “Reading death threats about yourself online is a little overwhelming.”

He glanced up at the doorway as stylists walked in and out. “Be prepared for security to be increased. Our managers have been asking a lot of questions and it’s only a matter of time before her name comes up.”

“Okay,” he again looked down at his phone.

“And for the love of all that’s holy, tell her before she finds out. I have no desire to see that woman lose her shit. She’s savage enough when she’s pissed, I can’t even imagine…”

“Yeah,” he scrunched his nose before scratching it.

TaeHyung burst into the room, his eyes wide as he breathed heavily. “I am so sorry! Please don’t kill me!”

Jimin raised his eyebrows and slowly turned around to face him. “What did you do?” he asked slowly.

“Bang PD-nim tricked me!”

“Slow down,” he took his hands into his. “Start from the beginning.”

He caught his breath and nodded. “We were talking about my hair, the album concept, and then having a party at the end of the month. I told him it was a good idea. Then... he asked if your girlfriend might want to come and it just slipped out!”

He smirked at him as YoonGi rolled his eyes. “It’s fine, TaeHyung-ah. I’ve been expecting it. He’s been asking a lot of questions.”

“Is it really okay?”

“It will be, I promise.”

“I’m so sorry,” he bit his lip.

“I know,” he chuckled before dialing his phone and waiting.

“Yeobosayo?”

“Nae ssangdungi,” he purred.

The line was quiet for a moment. “What is wrong?”

YoonGi threw his hand over his mouth to keep from laughing aloud.

“Okay, so… I have a full day and won’t be able to see you until tomorrow, so I’m going to tell you now.”

“Yes…”

“First of all… YoonGi-hyung knows. He’s fine. He’s not happy, but he’s… okay.”

“Yes…”

“Second of all… Bang-PD-nim tricked TaeHyung-ie and he knows too. I will have to speak to him soon.”

“Are you kidding me?” she whined.

“And thirdly… Big Hit has been notified that I have had… multiple… death threats for various tour stops in the US in September…” he waited for her to speak again. “Min-ah?”

“What does that mean?” she asked so lowly, he barely heard her.

“More security. I’m safe. They’ll keep me safe. It will be fine.”

“Then why did you need to tell me this over the PHONE?!”

His eyes widened as YoonGi and TaeHyung froze at her tone of voice. “I told you, Baby. I wanted you to hear it from me and I won’t see you until tomorrow.”

“Okay.”

His stomach churned as he waited. “What?”

“Okay. Bye,” she ended the call.

“You are soooooooo fucked,” YoonGi pointed at him.

“Damn it,” he sat back in the chair and sighed.

“Let me talk to her,” TaeHyung asked him.

He nodded silently as he walked off with his phone. She answered on the first ring. “What the complete FUCK?!”

“Deep breaths,” he spoke calmly.

“What am I supposed to do with this information?”

“That’s not breathing, Noona. Breathe.”

She dropped the phone for a moment before shaking her head and holding it back to her ear.

“Okay. Better. I love you.”

“Stop,” she whined.

“He loves you more. He didn’t want you to freak out because he’s trying not to freak out. He needs you right now.”

“I know.”

“Okay. So… If I were you, I’d go see your parents. Let them know what’s going on. They’re idol parents, so they know about this stuff. Let Mommy Kim hug you.”

“Okay,” she calmed down. “Thank you.”

He smiled before looking through the doorway and giving Jimin a thumb’s up.

#

It was a Saturday morning. MinYeon had gone over and over the words in her mind as she drove her brother’s car to Guri. Once she parked in front of her childhood home, she wiped her sweaty palms onto her jeans and took a deep breath.

“Why are you home?!” her mother squealed from the kitchen as her father dashed in from his study.

“I miss you,” she kissed their cheeks.

“You look thin, Yeonnie,” he looked her over.

“I’m eating well, Appa.”

“Are you getting enough sleep? Your skin looks fantastic,” her mother looked her over.

“MinSeok-ie makes me use the products his dermatologist gives him. Isn’t it amazing?”

“I am so glad you two are close together.”

“So am I,” she agreed. “Although he has been in rehearsals for the shows in Seoul. I don’t see him much.”

“You both work so hard,” her father shook his head.

“I brought gifts!” she squealed before handing gift bags to each of her parents.

They all walked to the table and sat around as her mother poured tea and opened the things she had brought them.

Her father received a fountain pen, a very nice bottle of whiskey, and a polo shirt. He leaned over to his daughter and kissed her hair. “Thank you, little one.”

She smiled before kissing his cheek. “You are welcome.”

Her mother followed by pulling out a Coach wallet, face masks, and bath bombs. “These smell nice,” she sniffed them happily.

“I’m glad you like them,” she glanced down at her phone. “Do you remember when I told you that Bangtan’s Min Suga and I were going to work on a song together?”

Her mother nodded enthusiastically as her father watched her.

“It made the new album.”

“Congratulations!” her mother clapped her hands together. “When can we hear it?”

She smiled and touched her phone as the music began. She sat back and sipped on her tea as they listened.

“I can hear you!” the veteran music teacher listened closely. “You sound so good, MinYeon-ah.”

“This is a very professional song,” her father was genuinely surprised. “How long did this take?”

“We worked together for a day, worked separately for a week, and when we came back together, we finished it. We work very well together.”

Her father continued to watch her.

“In fact... I get along with many members of Bangtan...”

“So… you’re dating Jimin?” her mother asked.

“Yes Mommy,” she laughed. “I’m dating Jimin-ie.”

“When we met Bangtan...” she pushed.

“No. We haven’t been together that long.”

“Min-ah...” her father sighed.

“I know school is important. And I know I tend to stretch myself thin, working on current productions instead of waiting until I finish school. I didn’t expect this to happen. I didn’t want it to happen.”

“We cannot control who we fall in love with,” her father smirked at her.

She burst out laughing.

“Do you see him much?” her mother asked.

“We keep very crazy schedules. We are very much alike, though, and we text and call and keep in contact all day. That part has been constant from the moment we met.”

“This has to remain a secret!”

“Yes, Eomma. Very few people know and we would like to keep it that way.”

“Your brother?”

“He knew from the beginning, I think.”

“Bangtan?”

“Some know. SeokJin-ssi and NamJoon-ssi both have secret relationships as well.”

Her mother reached over and placed her hand on her daughter’s. “I approve.”

She pursed her lips to keep from laughing. “Thank you.”

“I think a wedding on Jeju Island would be beautiful.”

“Mwo?!” both her father and she replied.

“Too soon! Much too soon! Idols don’t marry until after the military, mom.”

“So you are thinking about it?”

“What? No!”

“Do you have couple clothes?”

“No. We have to keep this a secret. He…” she rolled her eyes around for a moment. “He receives death threats. He wants to protect me from those kinds of things.”

“That happens to the most popular ones,” she squeezed her hand. “I’m so glad that if MinSeok-ah has gotten them, I do not know about them. I have seen the ones from the others. As a parent, it is very difficult to let the companies handle it.”

“As a girlfriend, there is absolutely nothing I can do—but if you ever see me in the news with someone else, it’s because we’re trying to pretend we’re not together.”

“Aish,” her father swore. “Please be careful.”

“I will,” she hugged him.

“When will you see him again?”

“He is in Taipei right now and I am leaving for a conference in San Francisco... maybe a week or so?”

“I will make bone soup for him. You can freeze it.”

“He will like that,” she nodded as her phone buzzed. She glanced down and sighed before answering the FaceTime. “Yeobosayo.”

“Hi Beautiful,” Jimin yawned. “How’s Guri?”

She smiled brightly. “Very good,” she turned the phone around so that he could see her mother.

“Jimin-ssi! Are you in love with my daughter?”

“I love her as high as the sky and as deep as the earth, Eomeo-nim.”

“Can I still be ARMY?”

“YoonGi-hyung still owes you an album when it comes out. He hasn’t forgotten.”

“Good, good.”

MinYeon shook her head and looked over at her father. He looked at the camera and made eye contact with Jimin through the screen. They were both silent as he nodded his head and then left the table.

MinYeon’s eyes widened as she turned the phone back to herself. “I guess it’s official.”

#

Jimin sat in a meeting with his members and management team as food was passed around before the show. His eyes moved between YoonGi and TaeHyungs as he waited for SeJin to speak up.

“There will be no fan meets Internationally. Occasionally, a record executive or special guest may request a special meeting, but it will be intimate and security present.”

Jimin nodded his head and tapped his fingers on the tabletop.

“We will tighten up the guest list to staff members, family, and entertainment peers with approval.”

“What about friends?” Jimin spoke up.

“Please elaborate.”

He nodded before speaking. “I have friends who are not entertainment peers. I would like for them to be on the list and have privileges at the agency.”

“As do I,” SeokJin spoke up.

“I do as well,” NamJoon nodded his head.

“As do I,” TaeHyung offered. After all, MinYeon was his friend as well and he didn’t want their management to presume Jimin had a girlfriend.

“So do I,” JeongGuk nodded as YoonGi turned to him and smiled.

“Going down with the ship, Maknae?” he mumbled.

“I have friends,” he shrugged his shoulders.

“The only person I can imagine inviting who isn’t a part of my family is a professional in the music industry. I think this is ridiculous,” YoonGi shook his head.

“She doesn’t have a manager or a company to handle the details,” NamJoon reminded him.

“Okay,” SeJin waved his hands as the other managers sat back. “Who are we talking about?”

“KMY,” they all answered.

“She worked on one song with you,” he turned to YoonGi. “Is there something else connecting her that I am not aware of?”

“She’s a 95-Liner and a close friend,” TaeHyung spoke up.

“I’m close with her as well,” JeongGuk nodded.

Jimin pursed his lips as he again glanced up at YoonGi. “And I’m dating her,” he spoke lowly.

“What?!” NamJoon, SeokJin, Hoseok, and JeongGuk spat.

“Ah,” SeJin smiled as he relaxed.

“When did this happen?” SeokJin turned to YoonGi. “Are you okay with this?”

“It’s been about a week and I’ve been expecting it since they met,” YoonGi sighed. “It is what it is.”

“Is she the person you’re all referring to?” SeJin turned to SeokJin.

“Not the only one,” he answered slowly.

He nodded silently before letting out a sigh. “This is over my head, guys. I need to go to the execs about this. We’ve always had a plan for company-recognized official girlfriends but didn’t expect it to actually happen.”

“I’m sure Bang-PD-Nim will want to be involved,” NamJoon nodded. “There are three of us who are dating, unless I’m mistaken,” he glanced around the table. When no one else spoke up, he turned back to him.

“I’ll take this up and schedule a meeting.”

“As I was leaving, I heard Eomma yell to Appa that bath bombs were not used to clean the toilet.”

MinSeok threw his head back in laughter.

“I’m sure it smelled wonderful,” she giggled.

He calmed down and took a drink of his beer. “I’m sorry I missed it.”

“It was a good visit.”

He watched her. “So they know?”

“Eomma asked Jimin if she could still be ARMY.”

“Aish. My own mother,” he shook his head.

She smiled at him. “I have a question for you.”

He raised his eyebrows and nodded at her.

“I think... it might be time... for me to hire a manager.”

“Really?”

“There aren’t enough hours in the day. I mean... I’m in the studio with Got7 right now, I’m working with Hannah-eunni soon, I’m writing on my own constantly, and now Monsta X has requested a song... I have less than a month to finish my summer project for class… I need to film another YouTube episode…”

“That would most likely require you to sign with a company.”

“I don’t want that,” she shook her head. “I like my freedom too much.”

“I’ll look into it for you.”

“Thank you,” she relaxed. “I… might also have another reason for it,” she hesitated. “Jimin-ie has gotten death threats. Credible threats that are being investigated in Los Angeles and Dallas. Apparently, this isn’t the first time.”

“And there it is,” he sighed. “Okay.”

“The official statement is that Bangtan doesn’t date. If it were up to Jimin-ie, he wouldn’t admit we were together until he retired.”

“Okay. We’ll figure it out.”

She nodded before looking up at him and smiling. “Thank you.”

Camera flashes went off in every direction as MinSeok opened the trunk of his car and retrieved his sister’s suitcase. She met him at the back of the car and hugged him as he closed the trunk.

“Be careful,” he sighed.

“I will,” she kissed his cheek. “Practice hard.”

“Call me when you land, and when you get back.”

“I promise,” she smiled before dashing off into the airport.

As photographers snapped photo after photo of her, she looked straight ahead. Just as she was about to enter the line to check in for her flight, she heard a voice call out to her.

“MinYeon-ssi!”

Surprised that anyone knew her name, she turned around.

“Is it true that you are the music producer known as KMY?!”

She blinked a few times before ignoring him and walked to the counter.

#

Music filtered from her headphones as she sat with her eyes closed. She bounced her head to the beat, her hand moving in the air as she listened to the melody. Suddenly, something changed. It didn’t fit. It was completely wrong for the song. She shook her head, cursing under her breath as she pulled off her headphones. She stopped the music and picked up her phone to find three notifications from Jimin.

RiceCake: I gave you twelve hours to answer my texts

RiceCake: I’m bored, Min-ahhhhh. Talk to me.

RiceCake: Wow. So this is what it’s become. Fine.

She rolled her eyes before sitting back into her seat letting out a frustrated sigh.

Squishy: I got back from the conference and have been working on a class project.

Squishy: It sounds like shit and I’m about to send a very nasty group chat.

She switched to the group chat she had with her peer group.

Mina: I have a few concerns with the track you sent today. I’ll call you in the morning.

When she switched back, he had replied.

RiceCake: Damn baby, that’s a long day. We’re finishing up rehearsals in a few. Call me on video chat.

Squishy: Okay.

She abandoned her work and walked to the table next to the door to pull the lid off of a bowl of rice and vegetables. She sat on the sofa and turned on the video chat before mixing the vegetables and rice together. She had opened a beer and was taking a long drink when he answered.

“There’s my baby,” he smiled through the camera.

“Hi,” she shoved a spoon full of vegetables and rice into her mouth.

“You’re eating. That makes me happy.”

“As long as you’re happy…” she quipped.

“I’m sorry about today. I keep forgetting how different our time zones are.”

“Two hours,” she giggled. “Jakarta is two hours different.”

“I know. You’ve just never taken more than a few minutes to answer me before,” he scratched his head.

“I’m doing the best I can,” she nodded. “I’m giving speeches and listening to speeches and still trying to keep up on my projects.”

“I know,” he sighed before looking down at his phone. He smiled before answering them and then looked back up at her.

“Oh my God, the music the group sent tonight was awful. Someone changed the key and it doesn’t go with the flow at all.”

He was looking down at his phone. “Yes.”

She raised he eyebrows and waited to regain his attention, but he kept texting. “I’m wearing a bikini for the symposium tomorrow.”

“Awesome,” he answered without looking up.

“It’s topless,” she spat.

“Even better.”

She nodded silently before pursing her lips. “Am I bothering you?”

He quickly looked up. “Sorry, TaeHyung-ie’s been sending funny jokes.”

“And you don’t see him enough during the day? You have to talk to him when you have my attention?”

“Ah jinjjai…” he whined.

“I’m exhausted,” she rubbed her forehead. “If you’re going to play with him, I’m going to bed.”

“Fine. You apparently need a nap,” he spat. “Goodnight.”

“Aish,” she cursed before ending the call.

He threw his head back dramatically and sighed as NamJoon walked into the room and smirked at him.

“I know that look,” he chuckled.

“Seriously!” he complained. “I’ve been trying to get her attention all damned day and when I finally got her on a chat, she got pissy and hung up.”

“Why…” he watched as his phone buzzed. He immediately looked down and replied. “Ah.”

“Huh?” he looked back up at him.

“Jimin-ah…” he sat across from him. “Have you ever dated someone like this before?”

“Like what?”

“Like… you?”

He burst out laughing. “What do you mean?”

“You know how you sometimes get needy and clingy and… pissy when you don’t get enough attention?”

“Ah…” he raised his eyebrows before looking down at his phone.

“Were you talking to TaeHyung-ie instead of her?”

He bit the inside of his lip before nodding his head.

“Now you understand?”

“Ne.”

“Yeah, you Libras are an entirely different beast, my brother. Good luck to you both.”

He looked down at his phone for a moment before taking a few cute selfies and sending them to her.

RiceCake: I’m sorry I wasn’t paying attention to you.

RiceCake: I love you.

She read the texts as she slid into bed and smiled to herself.

Squishy: I love you, nae ssangdungi. Goodnight.

#

Between their busy schedules, communication between MinYeon and Jimin was reduced to a few texts back and forth. As she stepped off the plane from her return flight from San Francisco, she turned on her phone to find a text from Jimin.

RiceCake: Noona will pick you up at the airport.

She slowed her walking and frowned before answering.

Squishy: What about my oppa?

RiceCake: We’re at work. She’ll bring you to me.

She pursed her brows before dashing off to pick up her luggage and search for her brother’s former manager.

“Welcome home!” MiHyeon hugged her as she spoke in English. “How was your trip?”

“It was really kind of cool,” she smiled. “Every time I think I know something, I get schooled. I love learning new things.”

“That is awesome,” she led her to a waiting car as once again, flash bulbs went off all around them.

Her brother, Justin, jumped out from the driver’s seat and grabbed MinYeon’s suitcase before tossing it into the trunk. Before she knew it, they were off and headed toward Gangnam.

“Okay,” MiHyeon turned around in the front passenger seat and spoke. “Bang-PD knows about you.”

“Oh... kay?” she waited. “I knew that.”

“Jin, Joonie, and Jimin decided to meet with him and spill the beans about all of us.”

“He didn’t know before that?”

“We never came out and admitted it, but he’s never asked before now.”

“Oh,” she sighed.

“You and I are on our way to Big Hit for a meeting with him, and Seouli will be Face Timing us.”

“Okay. So this is happening,” she nodded her head. “Did you let my brother know?”

“Sort of. I’d rather leave that up to you.”

“He trusts you, Eunnie.”

“I know, but… I don’t know what he does and doesn’t know about you guys.”

“Understandable.”

“Are you okay?”

“I am coping,” she breathed. “Our first kiss was ten days ago and here we are.”

“That is… quick,” she nodded silently as Justin glanced at her thought the rearview mirror. “Should we stop for a drink first?”

She burst into laughter. “That would be a disaster.”

He smiled as MiHyeon nodded toward him in thanks.

The three arrived at Big Hit Entertainment to the sound of screaming fans. To them, they saw two former Korean Idols and a music producer entering the building—and that is exactly why they arrived together.

A staff member met them in the lobby and escorted the women to the elevator as Justin walked back to the reception room to wait. When they arrived at Bangtan’s floor, they were met by SeokJin and Jimin.

“Thank you,” they bowed to the staff member, and she returned to the elevator and left them.

SeokJin smiled and kissed MiHyeon, who was taken aback. They had never shown affection in public before, let alone at the company.

“It’s okay,” he whispered.

“Jagi,” Jimin kissed her.

She raised her eyebrows as she stared into his eyes.

“How was your trip?”

“Fuck the jetlag, I’m here,” she relaxed against him.

“I know Baby, and I’m sorry. We’re in the middle of photo shoots and a video... this is the only time we could do this.”

“Aish,” she swore as she shook her head.

“Jimin-ie…” NamJoon called from the meeting room.

“Just a sec,” he answered back without looking away. “We’ll be there when she’s ready.”

“You’re such a badass,” she purred. “I’ll be okay.”

“That relaxes me,” he sighed as he looked her over. She had on a pair of tight, slashed jeans with an oversized white Oxford and a pair of Pumas. “I like this. You look cute.”

“I just crossed the Pacific,” she blinked her eyes.

“But cute,” he kissed her nose. “I know this is fast. I had to do this for security. Tell me you want to leave, and we’re gone. Okay?”

“Yes,” she searched his eyes. “I’m good.”

“Okay. Let’s do this,” he squeezed her hand and kissed her cheek before leading her to the conference room. They chose seats at the opposite end of the table and sat quietly as the door opened once more.

In walked Bang Si-Hyuk, founder of Big Hit and Bangtan Sonyeondan. They rose and bowed to him before returning to their seats. He took one long, slow glance around the room and smiled before nodding his head. “I knew this day would come.”

NamJoon took a deep breath. “It is long overdue, PD-nim.”

He raised his eyebrows before glancing at the iPad screen beside him. “Seouli-lee,” he grinned. “It has been a long time. You have matured into a beautiful woman.”

“Thank you, Bang-ssi,” she bowed.

He then glanced up at MiHyeon. “When did you finally give in to Jin’s pleas?”

“It has been a few years” her cheeks flushed. “Since the kidnapping.”

He raised his eyebrows. “Wow.”

MinYeon chewed on her lip as Jimin squeezed her hand from under the table.

“KMY,” he turned his eyes on her. “You are quickly making a name for yourself in Korean Music, and now you’ve stolen Jimin’s heart. Many girls have come and gone, yet you’ve managed to earn his devotion. Congratulation.”

Her face was blank as she blinked her eyes once.

“So!” he clapped his hands together and sat back in his seat. “What do you require of me?”

“We have worked really hard at keep our relationships secret. We have no desire to put our girlfriends or their families in danger by letting the public know,” NamJoon explained. “Hannah-noona is about to release a new album and will be touring again soon. MinYeon-ie is working with JYP and Starship and helped produce a song for our next album. It’s bad enough that her brother is one of the most popular idols in Korea and she’s starting to be followed by photographers, if her relationship with Jimin-ie is revealed...”

“They have already been very public with their relationship.”

“I don’t feel a need to admit to anything publicly,” he spoke up. “It’s no one’s business but ours.”

He nodded his understanding. “I don’t suppose you would simply... break up?”

She raised her eyebrows and turned to Jimin. Would he break up with her for the sake of his company?

“No,” he answered plainly. “I don’t believe that is an option for any of us.”

She looked down at the table for a moment as her stomach churned nervously before looking back toward him.

He nodded again and let out a deep breath. “Then Big Hit will stand with you. We will do all we can to protect you all.”

They all bowed their heads.

“I will inform your private security and managers. I don’t believe anyone else needs to know.”

“Thank you, PD-nim,” Jimin finally smiled.

“It is good to see you so happy. You have been much more confident recently.”

“My heart is happy,” he grinned.

He laughed before rising. “Thank you for trusting me to keep you and your companions safe. Good luck.”

SeokJin’s eyes widened. “We’ll need it.”

Jimin pulled MinYeon down to a vocal warm-up room and opened the door before turning to face her. “Are you ready?”

“What, now? Right fucking now?”

“Yes.”

“Give me a moment,” she dashed off to the restrooms as he sat in the desk chair and let out a deep breath. He had been watching her closely since she stepped off of the elevator. He saw that she looked nauseous throughout the meeting and reached for her stomach several times. He knew that she was now in the restrooms, emptying her stomach.

She returned with freshened makeup to cover her flushed face and minty fresh breath. He frowned as he wiped a tear from the corner of her eye. “Baby,” he whispered.

“It happens after traveling sometimes. I’m fine now,” she reached for a tissue and dabbed at the corners of her eyes.

He wasn’t going to win at that moment, and this was not the place to discuss the situation. “Okay,” he pulled her to the computer and logged in before taking a seat. She chewed on her lips nervously before sitting beside him. “Here we go,” he clicked on a button and waited.

“Jimin-ah!” his mother answered the video chat.

“Hello Eomma,” he waved to her.

“MinYeon-ah?” she squealed excitedly. “Is this the chat we’ve been waiting for?”

“I’m… not sure,” he laughed nervously.

She called out as his brother appeared in the camera.

“JiHyun-ssi,” MinYeon smiled at him.

“Oh wow, you’re really doing it?”

“Ne,” he laughed.

“Hello!” his father appeared next to them.

“Father, mother… JiHyun-ie…” he nodded. “It is super-secret and we aren’t telling anyone else, but… today… MinYeon-ie was officially recognized by Big Hit as my girlfriend.”

His mother clapped her hands together. “Yay!”

“That’s serious!” JiHyun looked between them. “Wow.”

“That seems like a very big commitment,” his father spoke sternly.

“It is,” he agreed. “It is a very new phase in our lives for the both of us, but I can honestly say that there’s no one else I want to be with.”

She smiled at him before glancing up shyly at the camera.

“I thought she was perfect for you from the moment you introduced us,” his mother nodded.

“Congratulations,” his father agreed.

“Thank you,” they both bowed to them.

“Good luck with that,” his brother laughed. “You will need it!”

He ended the call and turned to her.

“It’s official,” she sighed.

“It is,” he took her hands in his. “I feel relieved.”

“Me too.”

“Drinks tonight?”

“So many drinks,” she agreed.

#

After the third drink, they finally relaxed enough to talk.

“Our parents know and now Big Hit knows. I am never going to be able to break up with you,” she ran her fingers through her hair.

“Nope. Never.”

“What do we do now?”

“Break all the rules, Baby,” he grinned at her.

She laughed at him and shook her head. “I feel like we’re lying. I have to pretend we’re just friend when we’re out. Not even our friends can know about this.”

“We are. I’m okay with that if it keeps you safe.”

She leaned her cheek against her hand and sighed. “I don’t suppose changing my YouTube page to ‘The Life of a Secret Girlfriend’ is an option.”

“No,” he laughed.

“Are you sure you can do it? You’re going to get soooo jealous if you see me out with someone else. I know I will be.”

He leaned closer to her. “I had to endure lying in my bed, knowing you were down the hall fucking my hyung. I think I’ll be okay.”

“Valid point,” she sighed.

“Yes, I have a girlfriend and I’m never lonely,” he sang lowly, knowing she would know the lyrics right away.

She burst out laughing. “Serenading me with BigBang? Bonus points.”

He nodded before downing his drink and sitting back in his seat. “We need to commemorate this day.”

She bit her lip and looked up at him. “That’s a great idea!”

“Ooh. What did you have in mind?”

“You. Me. Tattoos. Now.”

His eyes lit up. “Fuck yes,” he threw money onto the table and grabbed her hand.

Within the hour, they were each on a table, facing one another. Their shirts were pulled up and tattoo artists inked the phrases of choice across their ribcages; both were lyrics from songs that touched them on a deep level.

“I didn’t think we’d get in so quickly,” he spoke lowly, but loud enough she could hear.

“You are Park-Fucking-Jimin,” she teased him as the artists shared the laugh as well.

He closed his eyes and breathed as a particularly painful spot was hit.

“I worked for a tattoo shop for four years and NOW I get a big one.”

“Do you want more?”

“Yes. I have plans.”

“Yeah,” he understood. “JK’s going to be livid I didn’t bring him.”

“Next time,” she smirked.

He laughed at her. “Next time,” he repeated.

#

MinYeon stepped through a door at Starship Entertainment to find seven excited sets of eyes looking back at her. She froze in shock as they all jumped up and introduced themselves to her.

“We’re Monsta X,” they bowed before Shownu, WonHo, Minhyuk, Kihyun, Hyungwon, Jooheon, and IM introduced themselves.

“I am KMY,” she returned with a smile. “Are we waiting on anyone else?” she noticed the lack of a manager in the room.

“No, we create our own music,” Jooheon popped out his adorable dimples in a wide grin. “They get involved when we’re ready for them.”

“Daebak,” she laughed.

They all slid into the table as she glanced around at them. “I was told by JinYoung and BamBam to expect your call... I didn’t realize it would come so soon.”

“You are an amazing songwriter,” IM spoke animatedly. “I love your version of ‘Jenga’ with BTS’ SUGA.”

She nodded humbly and smiled. “Thank you.”

“Your lyrics are always thought provoking and deep,” WonHo spoke up. “That’s why we want you to listen to a song and see what you can do.”

“Oh,” her eyes light up. “That sounds like fun.”

Kihyun sat back and watched her, his heart pounding against his chest as he rubbed his finger against his bottom lip. He had seen photos of her in the papers and on the Internet, but he had no idea how beautiful she was in person. He couldn’t believe the reaction he was having to her. He had to keep reminding himself that he had a girlfriend as he calmed down. The others, however, were not as calm.

She closed her eyes and listened as the music began...

It was a slow beat that sounded like... “Electronica?” she raised her eyebrows.

“Yeah... that’s sort of our thing,” Jooheon nodded.

She nodded as well and continued to listen. She swayed in her seat to the music for a bit. “This is giving me a love song vibe...”

“Ooh,” Hyungwon nodded his head.

She moved her hand into the air and waved her fingers until she froze for a moment. She suddenly blinked a few times and reached for her laptop. It was perfect. She hadn’t planned on giving this one away, but it was perfect.

She typed a few things and clicked her mouse before turning the screen to Jooheon and pushing it toward him. WonHo looked over his shoulder and read the words. She then restarted the music and began singing along with it.

“Woah!” Minhyuk pushed away from the table.

“How does that fit so well?” WonHo turned to her.

“I just wrote this one recently... I don’t know. You will probably have to work with it, you know... break it up into seven parts... write the raps... I’ve heard a few of your songs, so I think this will work if you want it. It’s kind of moody, though.”

“I owe Jackson money,” Jooheon laughed. “He told me it would take less than an hour and I didn’t believe him.”

She laughed as she caught WonHo’s eyes. Without leaving them, she spoke. “I have an eidetic memory,” she explained. “I remember every song, sound, and conversation I’ve ever had.”

“How long did it take to write the song you performed with Min YoonGi?” KiHyun asked her from the end of the table.

She raised her eyebrows. “We had the song recorded in less than three days, with a week of schedules in between.”

He nodded his head with a knowing smile.

Shownu glanced around the table as each of the members nodded their head. He then turned to her. “We would like to us your words.”

She broke her gaze with KiHyun and turned to him. “They’re yours.”

“Did you celebrate your first couple’s day?” Bangtan took a break to eat a quick dinner and took a moment to chat.

“Yesterday was Silver Day,” TaeHyung smirked at him.

He held up his arm to show them a Tiffany silver bracelet with an infinity symbol on it while stuffing rice into his mouth with the other hand.

“And you gave her?” Hoseok waited.

“A phone case,” he swallowed.

“Wait, the one you got in Taipei?” SeokJin laughed.

“She got you that, and you got her a phone case?” JeongGuk frowned. “I am so disappointed.”

“No wait, what he is failing miserably to elaborate is that it is a silver Chanel lambskin phone case with a pink crystal encrusted CC logo,” he threw his head back in laughter.

“How much was that?!” NamJoon’s eyes widened.

“35,000 Taiwanese Dollars,” he shrugged his shoulders.

“You paid 1.5 million Won for a fucking phone case?!” YoonGi burst out. “She’s probably already dropped it three times by now!”

“Boyfriend Jimin-ie is going to be interesting,” TaeHyung grinned at him.

“He’ll be destitute by Christmas,” SeokJin giggled.

“Stop,” he laughed.

“Someone will need to monitor his credit card during tour,” Hoseok teased him. “He’ll be sending back weekly shipments.”

“Shit yeah, everything is cheaper overseas,” he smirked as they all laughed.

YoonGi felt his phone buzz in his back pocket. He glanced at the screen for a moment before bursting into a smile and accepting the call of his dear friend.

“KiHyun-ssi! It’s been a while!”

“It has, my friend. How are you?”

“Working on our comeback. You?”

“We met with a beautiful songwriter tonight who just blew us away. She matched up lyrics she had written with a song that Hyuk Shin composed in a matter of minutes. It was amazing to watch.”

“So you’ve met the famous KMY?” he glanced up at Jimin. “She is amazing to watch when she’s working.”

“How long have you been dating?”

“What?” he coughed. “We’re not.”

“You should have seen the look on her face when I asked her about working with you.”

“Aish,” he growled. “I wish, my friend. No. I don’t believe she has a boyfriend… how’s Bona?” he asked about his girlfriend.

“Busy. You know… the life of idols. It is what it is.”

“I wouldn’t know,” he laughed.

“So… you’re not even interested in her? I mean… she’s gorgeous.”

“Of course I’m interested,” he answered lowly. “You’d have to get her attention first, though. She’s really, really busy.”

“That sounds like a challenge.”

“Good luck with that,” he chuckled before hanging up.

“Smooth,” Jimin smirked at him.

“There she goes, breaking more hearts,” TaeHyung sighed. “She probably has no clue.”

“Hmmm,” they both answered before returning to their food.

#

MinYeon’s phone rang as she sat back from her keyboard. She stretched out her shoulders and pulled the phone up to her ear. “Yeobosayo?”

“Hey, Baby.”

“Hi. How was your day?”

“Not bad. Getting my hair done tonight.”

“Oooh. I can’t wait to see it.”

“I’m just getting the roots done and the yellow toned down a bit. Nothing cosmic.”

“Are Jin-ssi and Tae getting rebleached?”

“Mmm hmmm,” he answered. “Their scalps are going to feel great.”

“I’ve been thinking of a change. Maybe just lighter. Or red.”

“YoonGi-hyung went red.”

“Or not.”

He smiled as he listened to her. “I’m bored, talk to me.”

“You first. A truth for a truth.”

“I have not had enough alcohol for that,” he chuckled.

“I’ll wait,” she bit her lip as she waited.

“Okay,” he sighed. “I am addicted to porn.”

“Duh,” she burst out. “You’re a man.”

“It’s true! I never saw the point in having a commitment I wouldn’t be able to keep, so I touched myself. A lot.”

“I guess that is brutally honest,” she shrugged her shoulders. “I’m bisexual.”

She heard him choke on his drink and burst into giggles. “I should have saw that coming.”

“Yes, you should have,” she waited.

“Me too,” he chirped.

“That’s interesting…” she purred.

“You are so enabling,” he complained. “This can get dangerous.”

“I promise you’ll like it,” she closed her eyes. “Ah… now I miss you.”

“You didn’t before?”

“Not like this.”

“Hmph… I want to take you on a date.”

“How do you plan to do that?”

“We can go to Guri. You can show me around.”

“That’s not a bad idea,” she rolled her eyes around. “That’s actually… a good idea.”

“See? I do have them.”

She leaned back into her chair and smiled. “I think I need to watch some porn now.”

“That is… so unfair.”

“Especially since I know you’re only a few minutes away,” she sighed. “I bet if I yelled loud enough, you’d hear me.”

“Damn it, Min-ah,” he growled lowly.

“I think I’m going to bed now. Goodnight.”

The call ended as he seemed to be in pain, from the look on his face.

“You okay, bro?” TaeHyung asked.

“She’s killing me,” he complained. “She’s so mean.”

“I can only imagine,” he laughed. “You deserve each other.”

“Aish,” he glanced up at the mirror.

“Once we rinse, I think we’re done,” the stylist looked at him in the mirror.

“Awesome,” he grinned brightly.

An hour later, he used his key to open the door to MinYeon’s apartment and smiled. He dropped the bag he was carrying onto the floor and kicked off his shoes, leaving a trail of his clothes as he made his way through the dark apartment to her room. As he kicked off his last stitch of clothing, he whipped the duvet off of her and tossed it aside to find that she lacked a single stitch of clothing.

She felt him start at the back of her leg and work his way up to kiss and suck on the skin of her ass as she let out a lusty sigh. “What are you doing?”

“I’m getting food,” he spoke against her skin.

“Is that what we’re calling it now?” she smiled as she rolled onto her belly.

“I call it revenge,” he licked his way up her spine as she arched her back and moaned. He straddled her body and bit the back of her neck as she sucked in a breath and whimpered. “You can’t be mean and not expect consequences,” he wrapped his hands around her hips and pulled them up before pushing his way inside her.

“Oh shit,” she yelped as his hips slapped against her ass, the bed bouncing underneath them as he rode her. “Jimin-ah…” she squealed.

“You’re already saying my name?” he purred smugly. “Shall we try to make it louder so they can hear you all the way to Big Hit?”

“Fuck you!” she brought her feet up behind her and kicked his back as he laughed at her.

“I am, Baby,” he growled.

She dug her fingers into the sheets as she teetered on the brink of insanity, feeling him close in on the one spot that would send her over the edge. She tried to tilt her hips down, but he wouldn’t let her. He knew what she was doing and he wasn’t going to allow it—not yet.

He felt himself nearing the brink as his breathing became heavier. He too began to moan just before he dropped his hands to the bed. She immediately tilted her hips as he reached up with his left hand to grab a handful of hair. “That’s it, Baby…” he thrust slower and harder.

“Oh fuck! Oh fuck! I…” she screamed into her pillow.

“Ah!” he yelled as they came together, their bodies bursting into spasms.

He thrust a few more times before moving his hand back to the bed so she could move her head to the side and catch her breath.

“Mmm,” he kissed her shoulder. “Much better.”

She swatted at him as he laughed, nearly squeaking as he climbed off of her and walked to the bathroom to clean up. “You’re just going to fuck me and leave?” she looked up toward the bathroom.

“I told you, I’m getting food. I have to go back to work.”

She smiled as she crossed her arms and rested her chin. “Perhaps I should be mean more often?”

“You’re mean enough on a daily basis,” he grabbed his clothes and dressed before running back to the bed to kiss her. “Goodnight, Jagi. Dream about me.”

“Always,” she smiled at him.

He hummed happily before dashing out the door.

She cleaned up and threw on a nightgown before walking out to make sure the door was locked. She found the bag he had left and turned on a light to see what was inside. She found a set of satin summer pajamas in his BT21 character, as well as a sleep mask, hair band, and slippers.

She smirked before turning off the light and going back to bed.

#

A few days later, MinYeon sat between Jooheon and IM as they sang the guide vocals for the song and WonHo recorded it into his computer.

“I don’t like that part,” Jooheon stopped the music.

“Okay, we have the intro and then the first rap... which transitions to the prechorus...” MinYeon read the production notes aloud. “Is that really how high Kihyun’s going to sing?”

“Yes,” they both answered.

“Wow. So we’re practically whispering in bass and moving up to belting out soprano. I like you guys.”

WonHo laughed as he watched her closely. There was something about her he couldn’t put his finger on, but he was interested in figuring it out. He hated the idea of marriage and wasn’t interested in the concept of dating, as it stood in South Korea. For some reason, however, he felt his belly warm as he watched her.

They looked up to see Kihyun peeking in. “I just stopped by to see if I was recording today.”

“Yes,” IM laughed at him. “We have a request for you to sing this part.”

He read over the music and nodded. “This is the one we’ve been practicing,” he slid his jacket off and hanged it upon a hook before taking a seat. “Tell me what to do.”

MinYeon read over her notes as WonHo prepared the music. They played it a few times for him before he was ready to try singing it.

“Inside me, you crawl and crawl inside, I cannot escape... Even if you try rewinding, it’s replay, replay in its own place. You’re making me dizzy.”

“I like it a lot,” she clapped her hands together. “This is fun,” she smiled at WonHo as he laughed at her again.

“Will you be with us for the recording?”

“No... I have a schedule, but I will try to stop by if you need me.”

“We’re leaving for Chicago tomorrow, so...”

“Oh... well, let’s get this set,” she clapped her hands together before going back to work.

KiHyun glanced up to see WonHo sitting very close to her. Oh well. It wasn’t like he didn’t already have a girlfriend. If his member was going to take an interest in the beautiful songwriter, he would simply back off.

“Ah… okay, okay,” WonHo agreed before making a few changes. He then pressed a button and played the music.

“Yes!” she held her hand up and gave him a high-5.

#

After three solid days of jacket shoots, all seven members went their separate ways to spend time with family. Since Busan was so far away, Jimin went to MinYeon’s. He was more than happy to crash on her sofa and watch television mindlessly for once while she worked on her project.

“Ani,” she spoke over the video chat. “That’s not how the melody goes.”

“I’m fairly sure it is…” DaEun replied.

“It’s totally the melody,” HyeonWoo answered.

“If you’d like to take a moment to refresh your memories by consulting your DAW, I’ll wait,” she pursed her lips.

Jimin bit down on the inside of his lips and tried like hell not to laugh. Who in the world had the audacity to tell KMY that her memory was wrong?

“Ah… you’re right,” DaEun sighed. “I’ve built the entire chorus off-key.”

“There’s really no sense in me moving forward until you catch up,” she sighed.

“Damn, we got savage MinYeon-ie today!” MinJae laughed.

“Am I the only one who remembers she has a photographic memory?”

“Thank you, HaEun-ssi,” she nodded. “It does get tiring when I have to repeat myself,” she took a drink of water as Jimin had to look away to keep from laughing once again. “I still think YeJoon-ie’s the smartest of us, though,” she conceded as they all nodded in agreement.

“Why don’t we break up and log back in at 6:00?” SeoYeon suggested.

“Okay,” MinYeon’s eyes widened a second before she logged off.

“You have no patience at all, do you?” he laughed at her.

“Seriously? Telling ME that I’m remembering a song incorrectly? What the fuck?!” she huffed.

“You poor, underrated musical genius,” he leaned over and rested his cheek against her leg.

“Preach,” she ran her fingers through his hair.

He never understood how a person could like having their hair played with until he met her. Now, he lived for the moments when she combed through his hair with her fingertips. It calmed him and made him happy.

He saw her phone buzz and glanced up to see a message from JooHeon. He furrowed his brows as she reached for it and called him back. “JooHeon-ssi. It’s your song now,” she laughed. “You have the right to light it on fire and throw it out the window if you so desire. Ne. Anytime!” she ended the call and placed the phone back onto the table.

“Which song did you give them?”

“One I wrote about you.”

“Did you finish it?”

“I was hashing out a guide when Starship contacted me with a meeting. All I gave them were words.”

“It was enough for Kihyun to be interested...” he mumbled.

“Hmmm?” she looked down at him.

“What are you and Hannah-noona working on?” he changed the subject.

“I’m not sure yet, we meet in a few days,” she rested her hand on his chest.

“That’s right...” he sighed. “Can I read your lyrics?”

“You can hear the song when it comes out,” she rolled her eyes. “If it makes the album.”

“You think it won’t?”

“You never know until it’s printed on the jacket.”

“True,” he placed his hand over hers. “You’re not stressed about it?”

“I can’t control it. I can control the music I put out and can’t control who wants to record it. Why stress over something I can’t control?”

“Valid point,” he stole one of her phrases.

She smiled at him before leaning down to kiss him.

“I expected you to work on music when you were finished with class.”

“I’m good,” she purred. “I try not to force myself to create. If I get an idea, that sometimes rolls into several ideas. I try to get them all out at once, and that’s why I’m in my studio at crazy hours. And if I have a deadline for a song I’ve already written, but I need to complete it. Recording and engineering are different, though.”

“True.”

“I have a few hours free now.”

“Okay.”

“Let’s go to Myeongdong.”

“You want street food in the middle of a hot summer day?”

“Hells yeah,” she smirked. “If you can keep your lips away from me, it’ll just be MinMin on the streets,” she teased him.

“I don’t want to keep my lips off you,” he whined.

“Please…” she whined cutely. “They have four different ice cream stalls today.”

He stared at her with a smile on his face. “I’ll buy all four kinds…”

“Yay!” she clapped her hands together.

“For aegyo.”

“Wait, what?”

“You heard me. Bring on the cute.”

“I am incapable.”

“You just performed a level 1.5 by whining. I know you’ve got it in there.”

“Ssangdungi,” she pouted.

“That was nearly a 2. You’re getting there.”

She looked around the room and dropped her shoulders, took a deep breath, and then made finger hearts and a kissy face before bursting into a hearty laugh.

“That was awesome,” he sat up and spun around to pull her into his arms. “You are so cute, you don’t even have to try hard,” he kissed her cheek.

“Then stop making me,” she pouted.

“Okay,” he kissed her again. “Let’s go.”

They managed to make it to Myeongdong at a time of day where there weren’t many others, which suited them just fine. He grabbed gyeranbbang as soon as they arrived to at least have something savory in their stomachs and walked with her, looking around and sharing their food. If anyone noticed them, they kept quiet because they were able to have a delightful time together while visiting the food stalls.

“Ice cream and honey in a taiyaki cone,” she made a face. “Pass.”

“There’s plain taiyaki there,” he pointed.

“You just want bread,” she accused him.

“Like you want ice cream,” he agreed.

“Okay,” she led him over.

They again took turns eating the custard-filled fish-shaped bread while walking down the street. “Tiramisu Ice cream…” she pointed out. “There it is. Waffles and ice cream,” she grabbed his hand and dashed toward them.

“What flavors?”

“Melon cream and blueberry cream.”

“Just the ice cream or cream and ice cream?”

“Both,” she licked her lips.

“Okay,” he ordered and paid before looking around for something to drink. “We should get coffee after this.”

“Okay,” she grabbed two spoons before accepting the fresh, hot waffle full of ice cream. They again shared, laughed, and enjoyed their time together until every bit of the food was gone. She threw away the trash as he sipped on an iced coffee, passing it off to her as he watched her.

“Do you need to do any shopping while we’re out?”

“It depends on what you want to eat later.”

“Nothing cosmic,” he shrugged his shoulders.

“There’s a 7-11 two blocks from my place.”

“Sounds good,” he took her hand and pulled her down the street.

They walked in and he immediately grabbed a shopping basket. “Oh, we’re doing this,” she giggled as he grinned brightly.

“Yes,” he grabbed a bag of ramen chips and threw it in.

“Bibimbap flavored triangle gimbap,” she read the package before tossing it in.

“Bulgogi cheeze pizza,” he read through the glass door.

“Pass,” she shook her head.

“You’ve had it before?” he smirked.

“The bread is soggy,” she pointed to the lunch boxes. “The peach and the big one.”

“I’m pretty sure the peach one is a kid’s meal.”

“I’m tiny,” she sassed back as he laughed at her.

“True.”

“Besides, it has a hamburger and pasta and I’m intrigued by the deli ham gimbap.”

“Ahhh,” he added them to the basket.

“I think I saw kimchi ramen in the next aisle.”

“Yep,” he walked off and grabbed two.

“Dessert?”

“You just ate your weight in ice cream,” he accused her.

“I’ll have a strawberry milk, then.”

“Grab some soju and I’ll get your milk.”

They met at the counter and he paid for their things before heading back toward her apartment. That’s when their luck shield fizzled out. He glanced up across the street to see someone taking video of them.

“There it is,” he mumbled, for once glad that his hands were filled with shopping bags so he couldn’t hold hers.

“Just a few more feet…”

“Jimin!” they heard girls scream and looked up on instinct. “We love MinMin!”

He burst into a bright grin as he nodded at them.

MinYeon giggled as they turned into her apartment building and pressed the code for her floor. “So that’s really a thing?”

“I guess so,” he laughed. “I ship it.”

“Me too,” she leaned against him.

He kissed her hair and smiled. “I’m really glad we did this.”

She looked up at him and smiled. “Me too.”

#

Jimin felt the bed move and opened his eyes to see MinYeon sitting up. “What’s wrong?” he reached out for her.

“I woke up with words in my head,” she rubbed her face. “I need to go write.”

“Okay,” he yawned.

“Go back to sleep,” she kissed him. “I’ll be back when it ends.”

“Ah. It’s one of those nights,” he smiled. “Do what you need to do, Baby. I’m not going anywhere.”

“Okay,” she sighed before walking off to throw on some clothes and walk off to her studio.

_Falling for a stranger_  
_Good gracious_  
_I might even fly out to Vegas_

_I'm thinking maybe you'd be down to do it_  
_But you don't know what I'm saying_

_Baby we’re two distant strangers_  
_I know you don't speak my language_  
_But I love the way you’re talking to me_

She sat back and rolled her eyes around before returning her fingers to the keyboard.

_I can hear it callin'_  
_From where you are_  
_Loving the way you wanna talk_  
_Touch me tease me feel me up_  
_Touch me tease me feel me up_

She threw her head back in a silent giggle. “This is never getting recorded,” she shook her head. “Ridiculous.”

She rolled her eyes as a beat filled her head to the lyrics.

_Ooh tell me babe_  
_Tell me how you like it babe_  
_I don't even know your name_  
_I love the way you're talking to me_

Jimin opened his eyes as the light shone through the windows. He smirked before throwing on some clothes and pattering off to her studio find her asleep with her forehead against the soundboard.

“Shit,” he snickered before pulling her up. There were indentions in her skin from the knobs, as he suspected. “My poor musical genius,” he purred. “Kim-PD…” he turned to see that she had a nearly finished track recorded and raised his eyebrows. He licked his lips and reached for the mouse before clicking on the ‘play’ button.

_I can hear it callin'_  
_Loving the way you wanna talk_  
_Touch me tease me feel me up_  
_Callin'_  
_Something in the way you wanna talk_

_You got me sayin' you got me sayin'_  
_How you doing_  
_Tell me what's your name_  
_What's your sign_  
_Feeling like you're into me_  
_Yeah, I'm waiting, I just want you to come on over where I'm staying_

“Damn, girl,” he growled as he listened to her guide vocals.

_Falling for a stranger_  
_Good gracious_  
_I might even fly out to Vegas_  
_I'm thinking maybe you'd be down to do it_  
_But you don't know what I'm saying_

_Got me going through the roof, roof_  
_Really don't care what we do, do, hey_  
_We could fly to the moon_  
_I see your lips moving_  
_But we ain't got a clue_

She finally opened her eyes and frowned.

“This is awesome,” he stopped the track. “You wrote a whole-ass song and recorded it in like… three hours.”

“I’m just that awesome,” she yawned and stretched her arms.

“I think it’s a sign that we need to stay in bed today,” he kissed her.

“After food,” she saved her work and stood up.

“Okay. You go back to bed. I’ll get food.”

She smiled as she wrapped her arms around him. “You’re the perfect boyfriend.”

“I know,” he kissed her nose.

He returned with food and created a nice spread on her bed as they dug in. Once they were full, they put the food away and returned to bed. They pulled the duvet over their heads and went back to sleep until well after two in the afternoon.

Even then, they remained in bed, she draped down his side with her head on his arm.

“Normally by now, I’d feel bad for being lazy and go to work. I can honestly say that I have none of those feelings at this moment,” he kissed her.

“I love being lazy with you,” she smiled against his lips.

They were interrupted by his phone. He burst into laughter as he reached for it and answered. “Bro, you have extremely bad timing.”

“I haven’t heard from either of you in nearly three days!” TaeHyung yelled across the line as MinYeon burst into giggles. “Are you alive?”

“It’s been 48 hours,” he corrected him. “We’ve been lazy today. Except for Min-ah, she wrote and recorded a song in like three hours.”

“She’s writing while you’re there? I’m jealous.”

“Why don’t you come over tomorrow? We can go out.”

“Yes please.”

“Okay. We’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Okay.”

He dropped his phone on the nightstand and returned to his spot. “Where were we?”

“Here,” she kissed him.

“Ah yes,” he pushed his hand up the back of her shirt and rubbed the skin of her back. “My favorite place.”

#

“Cheers!” the three 95-Liners tipped their heads back with soju while sitting around the table of a private room as the pork belly sizzled on the grill in front of them.

“Okay, so… I couldn’t get any information,” TaeHyung sighed. “I pretended to be someone else and nearly had a staff member spill the details.”

“And then a manager intervened,” Jimin laughed at him.

“You know you’re leaving in a few days, but you have no idea where you’re going,” she giggled. “That’s awesome.”

“They’ll tell us soon. Right?” Jimin asked before taking a bite of kimchi.

“One would think,” he sighed.

“You guys are doing a shit job of convincing me that being an idol is cool,” she poured more soju into the glasses.

“I can’t argue with that,” Jimin sighed.

“We found out we were going to Hawaii the day we left,” TaeHyung pursed his lips.

“Nope. Gotta plan. Not cool,” she ate a spicy cucumber.

“What is your schedule the next week?” Jimin asked her.

“I’m writing with Hannah-Eunnie… I might go to Osaka for SM Town… Korea Music Fest is next week…” she shrugged her shoulders. “Every time I contribute to the group project, it takes a few days for everyone else to catch up. This is what freedom is like,” she purred.

“You really don’t work well with others,” TaeHyung laughed at her as Jimin nearly spat out his drink.

“You should hear her on her video chats. She’s savage.”

She tilted her head and sighed before flipping over the pork.

“How can you be so scary and adorable at the same time?” TaeHyung teased her.

“Stop,” she mumbled.

“I got her to a level four aegyo the other day,” Jimin goaded her.

“No!” TaeHyung clapped his hands together. “I’d pay money to see that.”

“I’m not proud of it,” she sighed. “A girl’s gotta eat ice cream, though.”

“It was justified. Your secret’s safe with me.”

“Not me, I promised nothing,” Jimin laughed.

“Bro, they’re going to find your dead body in a ditch one of these days,” TaeHyung warned him.

“You’re lucky you’re cute,” she snipped at him.

He threw her a cocky smirk as she glared at him.

“Oh, Mamamoo’s going to be in Seoul on Bona’s birthday,” TaeHyung pulled out his phone and read the message.

“I saw that,” she nodded her head. “Sounds like a girls’ night out.”

“Agreed,” Jimin nodded. “Especially since that’s a week before our tour starts.”

“Ah… true,” he sighed.

“Monsta X’s encore are the same two days as your opener,” she chewed on her lip.

“Which day are you coming?” Jimin opened his calendar.

“Are your parents coming?”

“Day two,” he nodded his head.

“I’ll come that day, then. Mommy will want to come… I’ll see if Appa does as well… never mind, I’ll talk him into it.”

“Okay,” he made a note and dropped his phone down.

“I’ll tell my parents to come that day too,” TaeHyung nodded. “They need to meet you.”

“Yes,” she clapped her hands together as her phone rang. “Yeobosayo? Hey beautiful!” she grinned. “I’m not home… I’m with Jimin-ie and TaeTae… barbeque… Okay,” she hung up. “Hwasa wants to hang out.”

“I’m good with that,” TaeHyung growled lowly.

“You and me both, chingu,” she cocked her eyebrow.

“Awww… does my baby have a crush on Hwasa?” Jimin teased her.

“Duh. We all do,” she laughed at him.

“Truth,” TaeHyung laughed. “Hey, you haven’t posted a vlog in a few weeks.”

“No,” she looked away. “Honestly… I’m still a bit bruised from the last one.”

“The one on Jeju with EXO?” he looked confused. “What happened?”

“The comments,” Jimin pursed his lips. “EXO-L didn’t think it was appropriate for her to have so much access to her brother’s members, and antis…”

“Sure, let’s talk about it right now,” she rolled her eyes.

“She can’t win. Everyone has an opinion and aren’t afraid to sit at their keyboard and tear her apart,” Jimin ended the discussion.

“I’m sorry,” TaeHyung watched her.

“I’m afraid to post the next one. I spent the day with the Seventeenies at Jamsil.”

“Fuck them. It’s your channel. Post what you want. Don’t let a few jealous bitches kill your mojo.”

She burst into laughter as Jimin nodded in appreciation. “You are so right,” she poured another glass for him.

They returned to MinYeon’s apartment and welcomed the addition of Hwasa. They played video games and boardgames before ordering in another meal and casually discussing things that were on their minds.

“We’re preparing for our shows, rehearsing constantly. We’ll start dancing choreo in heels next week.

“Yikes,” MinYeon grimaced.

Jimin tilted his head and stared at his girlfriend for a moment. “You know… I vaguely remember, after a night of drinking, you told me you studied dance in school.”

She raised her eyebrows. “You remember that?”

His lips spread into a wide grin. “Yes.”

“Shit,” she sighed.

“You dance?” Hwasa turned to her.

“My brother and I have this thing… we only have to learn it once and then muscle memory kicks in,” she rolled her eyes. “It’s annoying, really…”

“Prove it,” TaeHyung goaded her.

“I’ll dance with you,” Hwasa offered. “What song?”

“Name one,” she chewed on her lip.

“Thank You, Next.”

“Don’t know it.”

“Call Out My Name.”

She shook her head.

“Havana,” she scrolled through music on her phone.

“Okay,” she smirked.

“Mwo?” the mens’ eyes widened.

Hwasa grinned brightly, her cute dimples popping out as she started the music. She grabbed MinYeon’s hand and pulled her to an open space on the far side of the room and sat her phone down. Jimin and TaeHyung both raised their phone and began to record as they began to swing their hips from side to side.

Jimin tried to swallow as his mouth went dry. Hwasa was a Korean idol who made a living dancing. She had practiced for many, many years and worked very hard to present a persona while moving and singing.

MinYeon had been a dancer in school in order to stay busy so she wouldn’t dwell on the fact that her older brother had moved away to become an idol. She had felt abandoned and betrayed and chose to keep her mind busy by partaking in meaningless activites.

Yet they both moved in similar ways. Their movements were fluid, and they were in sync as if they had been dancing together for years. They had similar curves, not at all in alignment to Korean beauty standards, but exquisite by any other comparison.

The moment they both dropped to dance lowly, he felt his body jolt. “My God, she’s good,” he mumbled to TaeHyung.

They tossed their heads back, their hair flying over them as his eyes widened. “Shiiiiitttt,” he sighed.

They slid to the floor and tilted their hips up in time with the music before returning to their knees. That’s when his brain completely froze. How in the world was this amazingly sexy woman his?

The music ended, snapping the men from their trance as Hwasa clapped her hands together and hugged her. “You should have been our fifth member,” she giggled.

“Hard pass, thank you,” she laughed.

“Okay,” TaeHyung rubbed his face. “You can sing, you can write and produce music, you’re hella hot, and you can dance… What the fuck, Yeon-ah?!”

“What?” she laughed at him.

“You’re an idol!”

“No, I value my personal freedom.”

“You won’t win this argument,” Jimin shook his head.

“Send that to me,” Hwasa nodded at TaeHyung. “I need proof that my sexy friend has moves.”

“Why?” she giggled.

“Trust me,” she winked at her.

TaeHyung leaned into Jimin. “I think Hwasa has a crush on your baby, too.”

“That’s hot,” he whispered back to him.

After a few more dances to thoroughly test her abilities, followed by a few drinks, TaeHyung walked Hwasa down to a waiting car. As soon as the door closed, Jimin slipped his finger through MinYeon’s belt loop and pulled her back into his frame. She closed her eyes and smiled as he kissed her neck.

“My God, keeping my hands to myself was a fucking test today,” he nibbled and sucked on her skin.

“You’ve spent too much time here,” she giggled. “You need to leave.”

“Fuck that,” he growled against her skin. “Watching you move your hips like that was so hot.”

“Like watching you do body rolls?”

He burst into an ornery grin. “Yeah.”

“Yeah,” she turned her head to catch his lips.

TaeHyung walked back into the apartment a few minutes later just as the bedroom door slammed. He smirked and rolled his eyes before popping in his earbuds and turning up his music.

#

“Okay, we’re finished for the day,” the producer announced as the group applauded and bowed to the crew. “You have the rest of the day to rest and prepare for your trip to Malta.”

“Yes…” Jimin grinned while dialing his phone.

“He said rest,” NamJoon smirked at him.

“Yeobosayo?” MinYeon answered.

“You. Me. Guri. Date night.”

“I’m actually in Guri babysitting my little cousins.”

“Awww… okay. I’ll come get you. Should I bring gifts?”

“Are you kidding, Obahan just wants to see you, that is gift enough.”

He grinned brightly. “Okay. I’ll let you know when I’m close.”

“Okay!” she answered before ending the call.

He looked up to see the faces of SeokJin and NamJoon staring back at him. “What?”

“A date with your secret girlfriend?”

“There’s a bar in Guri we’ve been researching. She’s already gone a few times with her brother and the manager’s cool.”

“You really are taking this seriously,” SeokJin seemed surprised.

“I really don’t want to mess this up,” he chuckled.

“Make good choices…” they trailed off as he dashed out the door.

The couple walked into the doors of Musicholic in Guri later and nodded to the manager. He immediately placed two imported beers at a quiet table in a darkened back corner and bowed to them.

“Thank you,” MinYeon smiled while bowing.

“Wow,” Jimin looked around. There were music videos from the 80s and 90s playing on several screens as he looked around the room. “Now I know why you like it here.”

“The tteokbokki is great, too,” she sat back as a pot of tteokbokki, ramen, and hot, steamy, bubbling cheese with fried noodles wrapped in seaweed on top. “That looks awesome.”

She wiggled her eyebrows before reaching for chopsticks and digging in.

“So good,” Jimin breathed as he chewed on the massively spicy good.

“More cheese?” she asked him.

“No, I’m good,” he swallowed before downing his beer.

She grinned at him before dipping the gimmari into the sauce and eating it.

“Your Obahan was in a great mood today.”

“I facetimed with Yuta-san and she got to speak to him. She is very happy that I have a friend from Osaka. She wants me to learn more about where she grew up.”

“Very cool,” he nodded. “How is he?”

“Busy. Recording and choreo,” she took a bite of tteok and chewed happily.

“And how’s my baby?” he watched her.

“My schedule is filling up quickly since I hired Marcus. I’ve never had an actual shooting schedule for my vlogs, and he wants to begin adding live broadcasts. That might be a little tricky…”

“Don’t stress over it,” he shook his head. “You’re supposed to be less stressed at this time, not more so.”

“Letting someone else set up my schedule is incredibly stressful,” she huffed. “I don’t take to change well.”

“Change that you didn’t initiate,” he smirked.

She nodded before looking away. “Ohh, I love that song,” she looked up at the screen over his shoulder.

He glanced up and watched it. “Sexy,” he purred, watching a model in a topless bikini running around on the beach.

“It’s sexy and sad and has this amazing guitar… and his deep voice is just icing on the cake,” she explained.

He watched her while she stared up at the screen, her lips moving to the words he couldn’t hear due to the commotion in the rest of the bar. He took a bite and grinned, loving this side of his woman. Yes, she worked in the music industry, and yes she enjoyed making music immensely, but she was truly a music fan.

“Ugh,” she collapsed back into her seat and took a drink of her beer. “Good, good shit.”

He nodded toward another screen, prompting her to turn and see LL Cool J’s ‘Phenomenon,’ and grinned brightly before purring lowly, “Behind every playa is a true playette, bounce you up, outta there, push and check, taster's choice, have you nice and moist, or play paper games or floss the Rolls Royce…”

Jimin grinned at her, having fun because she was having fun. “This might be our new date spot.”

“No arguments from me,” she slurped up some extremely spicy noodles.

His eyes turned to the screen behind her as he raised his eyebrows. She turned around and laughed. “Consensual sex theme song for the win!” she giggled.

“That… is porn.”

“What?” she laughed him.

“Some American MVs are like porn,” he repeated.

“George Michael was British… and, uh… not quite,” she licked her lips.

“Oh?”

“Have you actually… seen American porn?”

“Have you?”

She bit her lip and laughed.

His complete attention was suddenly on her.

“We could… go back to my place and watch it together.”

He immediately walked up to the bar to pay and grabbed her wrist to leave.

The couple walking into her apartment and dropped everything.

“Where…” he looked around.

“Sit on the sofa.”

“We’re watching porn on the big screen?” he chuckled.

“I paid for Hi Def, gotta test it out.”

He smirked before plopping down onto the sofa, spreading his knees wide in complete relaxation while waiting. She returned with her MacBook and placed it onto the floor. She typed in a few things and then mirrored the screen to play it before jumping onto the sofa beside him and tucking her feet underneath her. She then laced her fingers through his and leaned against his arm.

She leaned up close to his ear and whispered, “do you need subtitles?”

“No,” he laughed. “I think I’m good.”

They watched as two friends from college spoke after studying over coffee. The blond white girl was dropped off at home by the Asian girl and they went their separate ways. The blonde walked into the house to see that her boyfriend was playing video games. He asked if she remembered to tell “Ana” that he thought she was hot, and she did not. Her punishment was to sit on his face.

He dropped the controller and immediately kissed up her belly and began to grope her. He then pulled down the front of her top and kissed all over her chest before spinning her around to bite her on the ass.

“Right to it…” Jimin whispered.

“You expected a plot?”

The boyfriend pulled the girlfriend’s shorts down and nibbled all over her breasts. She then turned to sit on his face while she started up the video game.

“I call bullshit on that,” Jimin laughed.

“Not realistic?”

“I’d never let you play a game when you should be focusing on my mouth.”

She lifted her finger and pressed it against his lips. “That mouth?”

He bit her finger as he looked down at her before kissing her.

She hummed before turning back to the video.

The girlfriend began to stroke her boyfriend until he was quite hard, pushing up against his sweatpants. She pushed down the material and while stroking him with one hand, continued to play the video game with the other.

“That is true multitasking,” MinYeon giggled.

The girlfriend continued to ride her boyfriend’s face as she leaned down to take him into her mouth. After a bit of teasing and stroking, she took him in completely, deep into her throat.

Jimin dug his fingertips into MinYeon’s thigh.

On the other end, the boyfriend was running his tongue around his girlfriend’s tight, pink sphincter. He continued to play with her ass while licking at her core as she yelled out in delight.

The scene ended.

Jimin’s eyes widened. “That was foreplay.”

“Exactly,” she kissed his cheek.

In the next scene, Ana had returned and was studying at the dining room table with the girlfriend while the boyfriend did dishes in the kitchen. As the ladies tried to study, the boyfriend kept trying to get his girlfriend’s attention, to ask Ana if she would be interested in a threesome. The girlfriend kept shaking her head.

After some time, he grew tired of being turned down and walked around the table. He began groping his girlfriend’s ass.

“That’s what I’m going to do at your next study group,” Jimin laughed.

“It would definitely liven it up.”

The boyfriend pulled down the shorts and began fucking his girlfriend right in front of her study partner. The girlfriend tried her best to carry on a decent conversation as Ana seemed to look uncomfortable about the things happening in her peripheral vision.

Suddenly, Ana decides that she is aroused and unzips her shorts. She begins to rub her hands down her body and bite her lip while watching the other two go at it over the side of the table.

Out of nowhere, the boyfriend receives a phone call.

“You actually paid for this?” Jimin huffed.

“It’s not like you get a preview.”

The ladies gathered their clothes and walked off to the bedroom to watch a movie.

“End scene two,” MinYeon clapped her hands together.

“I’ve seen better in my hotel,” Jimin purred.

“Hang in there, it gets better,” she smiled. “Not much, but… better.”

“We could make a better video,” he looked down at her.

“And that’s how idols ruin their careers,” she hummed. “You are correct though…”

“You’re sexy…”

“I’m sexy… I have a song like that.”

“I want to hear it. It’ll probably turn me on more than this movie.”

“Shhh,” she hissed.

The ladies were watching television, draped across the bed as the boyfriend snuck in. He crawled up the girlfriend and began to play with her ass once again. He pulled down her shorts and nibbled on her cheeks as the girlfriend tried her best to keep quiet.

The boyfriend pulled down his pants and straddled her to fuck her from behind.

“We’ve already don’t that. How disappointing.”

“Was it? You seemed to enjoy it.”

He looked down at her with an ornery smile.

Ana finally noticed that her friend and boyfriend were fucking while she was on the bed. She was startled.

Jimin and MinYeon burst out laughing.

“I didn’t feel the bed bouncing from beside me. Oh my,” Jimin laughed.

“That must be a good movie,” MinYeon giggled.

The ladies begin kissing.

“Because that’s the obvious next step,” Jimin nodded.

“What’s what Hwasa would do,” she agreed.

He laughed at her. “Just with you, Baby.”

“We can only hope,” she purred.

The ladies continued to kiss while the boyfriend continued to fuck his girl. He pulled Ana closer and pulled out so that she could take him with her mouth. He grabbed her by the back of the head and thrust into her mouth.

“He’s choking her. How is that enjoyable?” Jimin frowned.

MinYeon rolled her eyes around. “It’s not completely… horrible.”

He looked down at her. “You’ve sucked a cock that big?”

“You’re not exactly small, Baby,” she ran her hand down his chest and grabbed his crotch.

He dropped his head to kiss her as their background sound was of a girl groaning while being fucked.

MinYeon unfastened Jimin’s belt before popping up onto her knees. He unbuttoned and pushed his jeans down his legs as she stared into his eyes. She began to stroke him before leaning down to tease him with her tongue.

He moaned as he sat back to give her room to do… whatever she wanted.

She took him with her mouth, sucking and pumping with her hand as he ran his hand down her back.

She teased him with her tongue for a moment before resting her hand on his thigh. That was the moment she slid down to take him completely, the tip of his penis pushed past her throat.

“Oh my God,” he growled lowly.

She paused, staying there as long as she could before pushing up to breathe. She then ran her tongue across the tip before stroking him.

“You are so fucking good at that,” he grumbled.

She hummed, sending vibrations through his whole body.

She took a few of discreet, deep breaths before again taking him completely.

“Fuck… that feels so good,” he laced his fingers into her hair.

She pulled away to catch her breath, returning her hand around his solid shaft to stroke him. She glanced up at the television to see the boyfriend fucking Ana while the girlfriend stroked herself and her friend.

Jimin looked up to see the boyfriend fucking Ana while his girlfriend rode Ana’s face and the couple kissed.

“You seem to be enjoying yourself.”

“So do you.”

MinYeon grazed the tip of his penis with her teeth, receiving a moan from him. She stroked him while sitting up to kiss him.

He ran his hand around the perfect curve of her ass as he slipped his tongue past hers. He inched his fingertips under her shorts and smiled. “You’re so wet, Baby.”

She pushed away and stood up, dropping her shorts and pulling her shirt over her head.

He pushed his jeans completely off and threw his shirt onto the floor in time to pull her onto his lap. He continued to massage her ass as she bounced on his cock until she cried out in bliss. Before she had caught her breath, he picked her up and threw her onto her back, pushing her knees up to her shoulders before slamming into her.

It didn’t take long before she was screaming again, and he slowed down to kiss her.

She smiled and pushed him away. He rose up and watched as she climbed up to her knees and held onto the back of the sofa. He held onto her hips and pushed inside of her, their skin smacking together as they moved.

He grabbed onto her shoulders as she reached up behind them to grab onto his ass. He moved one hand to her belly and pulled her back against him.

“Right there,” she cried out.

They moved together until they were both moaning in pleasure just before collapsing onto the sofa.

He kissed her cheek and ear over and over until she moved to catch his lips with hers, as the apartment quieted. The video was over.

“We are way better than them,” he wrapped his arms around her.

“Suckers don’t know what they’re missing,” she giggled.

#

A few days later, MinYeon woke up to her ringing phone and sighed. She saw that it was from TaeHyung and frowned. “Aren’t you supposed to be at the airport right now?”

“Noona…”

She heard the tears in his voice. She immediately sat up and looked around. “What’s wrong?”

“My grandpa passed this morning! I couldn’t go with the group. I’m supposed to go to Daegu, but my brain’s frozen. I don’t know what to do.”

“Stay right where you are. I’m on my way,” she spoke while climbing out of bed. “We’ll go to Daegu together. Where is Tannie?”

“My parents have him because I was supposed to leave.”

“Okay, chingu,” she spoke calmly. “I will pack a bag and go with you. If we forget anything, we’ll just buy it there. No stress. Everything will be fine. Tell your parents we will meet them there in a few hours.”

“Thank you…”

“You are very welcome, my friend. I’ll call a taxi and be there as soon as I can.”

“Okay. I love you.”

“I love you too, TaeTae,” she cooed and waited as he ended the call.

She immediately texted Jimin.

Minion_95: I’m taking Tae to Daegu. Have a safe flight.

Lucky_13: Shit, sorry. I was going to text you and got busy.

Minion_95: It’s okay. He’s really messed up. I’ve got him.

Lucky_13: Perfect. Thank you, baby. I love you.

Minion_95: Back at you.

She then threw a few things into her Chanel bag and dashed toward the door. After a taxi ride to Hannam and a stop at the security gate, she entered the code for the door of the mansion and bowed to his handler as she headed straight for TaeHyung’s room. He was on the phone with his mother.

“MinYeon-ie’s here. Ne,” he handed her his phone.

“Yeobosayo?”

“MinYeon-ssi… are you driving today?”

“Yes, Eomo-nim,” she glanced down at the phone and read the number before pulling out her own phon. “I am texting you right now. Please send me the address of where we need to be.”

“Thank you very much for taking care of my TaeHyung-ah.”

“Of course. It is my pleasure,” she looked around. “He seems to be packed and ready, so we shall be there in a few hours.”

“Should we fly?” TaeHyung asked her.

“By the time we get to the airport, fly there, and drive to where we need to be, it is the same time to drive,” MinYeon spoke to him. “Let’s relax and not worry about those things.”

“Okay.”

“Yes, very good. Thank you, MinYeon-ie,” his mother relaxed with formalities. “Please keep us updated on your travel.”

“I will. We will see you soon,” she handed the phone back to him.

“Okay,” he sighed.

“Come here,” she wrapped her arms around him.

“I wasn’t prepared for this,” he sighed. “Halmeoni died only two years ago. I thought we’d have longer.”

“I’m so sorry,” she reached up to her tiptoes to kiss his cheek. “Will you be going to Malta at all?”

“In two days,” he nodded his head.

“Okay. We can do this. It’s what, three hours to Daegu? You’re in charge of the playlist—no sad songs. Have you eaten anything?”

“I’m not hungry.”

“That’s no reason not to indulge in Mommy Kim’s famous heathy rice cake,” she placed the plastic-wrapped gooey rice cake into his hand.

“I’ve heard the legend of these…” his eyes widened. “Even MinSeok-ssi talks about them.”

“That’s because they’re epic. Please do not tell Jimin-ie, I was saving this one for a special occasion.”

“Your secret’s safe with me,” he unwrapped it and took a bite. “Oh my gaaaaahhhh,” he chewed. “Your eomma is a goddess.”

“I’m aware,” she giggled.

“How are you so tiny, with a mom who makes this kind of food?”

“She only made it on holidays because she was a schoolteacher.”

“Now she lives to fatten you and Jimin-ie up,” he elbowed her.

“Many have tried,” she sighed.

“You get too much exercise,” he teased her.

“Can it ever be too much, though?” she hummed.

“Ah… brain bleach needs to be a thing,” he complained.

She giggled before grabbing her bags and heading down the stairs.

She stayed by his side the next two days, meeting his family and friends, and even YoonGi’s parents at the funeral.

“You’re Kim MinYeon?” his mother asked.

“Yes,” she bowed to her.

She narrowed her eyes at her. “I thought you were with… someone else.”

She raised her eyebrows as her eyes widened.

“MinYeon-ie is one of my very best friends,” TaeHyung saved her. “She is here for me. I am very lucky to have a friend who dropped everything to help me through this time.”

She nodded. “I’m afraid I’m going to have to call my son in Malta and tell him his grandmother is very ill as well. We were told today… it won’t be long.”

MinYeon’s heart grew heavy. Just because she was no longer dating him didn’t mean she didn’t care for him. “Please let me know if I can help.”

She stared at her.

“I am still very fond of your son, even if we are no longer dating.”

“So you did date?”

“Yes,” she nodded as someone entered the funeral parlor she recognized. Seeing them over a video chat was different than real life, but he also possessed the same eyes she loved so very much. “Please excuse me,” she bowed before walking off to greet the Park family.

“MinYeon-ie?” Jimin’s father’s mouth dropped open before hugging her.

“Hello,” she smiled as his mother waited impatiently for a hug as well.

“I’m so happy to finally meet your face!” she squealed as they laughed.

“Wow. Why are you here?” JiHyun asked as his father tapped the back of his head. “Ow!”

“I drove TaeHyung-ie here. He wasn’t doing very well when he got the news.”

“We should go give our condolences,” she nodded. “I’m glad you’re here. I wondered who would stand in for Jimin-ah…”

She nodded sadly. “I am taking him back to Seoul late tonight so he can meet up with the group,” she glanced up to see TaeHyung speaking to some of his elementary school friends. He seemed uncomfortable and awkward.

“That tends to happen,” JiHyun stepped toward her and spoke lowly. “They’re probably asking him about his members instead of being here for him.”

“I should save him,” she sighed.

“You do act a lot like my son,” his father smiled, the same eye-disappearing smile his sons possessed.

“That’s what they tell us,” she smiled and bowed. “Please excuse me.”

“Go save him,” she waved her off.

“Thank you!” she waved while walking off.

The parents both sighed. “Wow,” JiHyun turned to them. “She’s tinier than I thought.”

“Her cheeks are so fluffy,” his mother cooed. “Their babies will be so cute.”

“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves,” his father chuckled. “I doubt we’ll see that happen for quite a few years yet.”

“You never know,” she shrugged her shoulders. “I wouldn’t hate it if it happened.”

“Neither would I, yeobo, but we shouldn’t wish for it so soon. They’ve only been together a month.”

She hummed before nodding her head.

MinYeon slowly walked up beside TaeHyung and bowed to the people he was speaking with. “I’m sorry to interrupt…” she then whispered into his ear. “Shall we escape?”

“Ah… thank you,” he nodded.

“Wait… aren’t you KMY?” one of the people asked.

“Yes, this is my friend Kim MinYeon,” he used his manners and introduced her.

“Are you two together?”

“I thought you were with Jimin, but… this makes sense.”

“Are you friends with the others in the group?”

“You are even prettier in person.”

“How many idols have you dated?”

Her mouth dropped open in shock.

“Sorry, my mother needs me. It was good seeing you,” TaeHyung bowed before grabbing MinYeon’s hand and walking off.”

“You didn’t answer their questions,” she mumbled.

“Neither did you.”

“I was shocked into silence, or else it would have ended much differently.”

“Big Hit will take care of it if the rumors get too bad. Besides, it could be worse, right?”

“True.”

“So you met the Parks?”

“I did,” she smirked. “They are very nice.”

“Of course they are, they raised your man and he’s pretty cool.”

“He has his moments,” she teased him. “How are you holding up?”

“Better than I thought.”

She sighed and glanced over at YoonGi’s parents. “YoonGi’s mother said his grandmother is dying as well. She is debating whether to call him.”

“She should. He will be very upset if he misses saying goodbye.”

“Perhaps you should tell her that.”

“Yeah,” he kissed her cheek before walking off to speak to his parents.

Early the next morning, she pulled into the parking garage of Big Hit and parked in front of the door. Two staff members walked out to meet him and help with his luggage as he made sure he had gotten everything.

“Will I be able to get through security to take your car home?”

“Keep it,” he closed the trunk. “I’ll come get it when we get home.”

“You’re awful trusting.”

“I trust you,” he hugged her tightly. “Thank you, chingu. I couldn’t have gotten through this without you.”

“Any time,” she kissed his cheek. “Please have fun in Malta.”

“I will honestly try,” he nodded before walking off into the building.

As she climbed into the car, her phone rang. She read the ID and sighed. “Yeobosayo?”

“Yeon-ah…” YoonGi lost his voice.

“Did your Eomma call?”

“She told me she met you. She really likes you.”

“That’s good to know.”

“Yeah…” he sighed. “If I don’t leave as soon as possible, I might not get a flight back until next week.”

“What can I do to help you?”

He paused for a moment. “I’m flying into Daegu International… ahhh.”

“Just say it, Oppa,” she sighed.

“That’s not fair.”

“Would you like for me to be with you as well?”

“I know it’s weird. I know we shouldn’t be friends, let alone friendly. I just… if my closest friends can’t be there, I think… you’re the next best thing.”

“Then I will be there. Let me know when I need to be there so I can plan.”

“Thank you, Yeon-ah,” he sighed. “Jimin-ie just walked in, would like to speak to him?”

“Yes, please.”

“Ne,” he handed off the phone.

“Hey Beautiful,” he purred.

“Hey,” she sighed.

“Are you okay?”

“I’m sitting in Big Hit’s garage. I just brought TaeHyung-ie back and now I’m heading back to Daegu in a few days for YoonGi. Two funerals in less than a week,” she rolled her eyes.

“I’m sorry, Baby. Thank you for being there for my brothers. You’re an amazing person and the perfect girlfriend.”

She smiled as she leaned her head back against the seat and closed her eyes. “Your parents are fun.”

“Eomma loves you. She’s planning our wedding.”

“Stop,” she laughed.

“Appa thinks you are way above my class, and he’s not exactly wrong.”

“Stop,” she repeated. “TaeHyung-ie’s school friends think I’m dating him.”

“Good. Let them think that.”

She rolled her eyes. “Okay. I need to go home and regroup.”

“I see a fuzzy, peach bath bomb in your future.”

“That sounds fucking awesome. TaeHyung-ie gave me his car to use until you get back.”

“He’s taking care of my Baby,” she could hear his smile over the phone. “Text me when you get home.”

“Okay. Saranghae.”

“Saranghae,” he ended the call.


	5. AUGUST – YOUR LAUGHTER IS THE SCALE OF MY HAPPINESS

“I can’t believe it,” HaEun, the eldest member of their study group stared at her beer. “I’ve never won an honors award for a music project before.”

“We worked hard, we deserve it,” SeoYeon patted her back.

“The addition of layered backing vocals... was pure genius,” HyeonWoo lifted his glass to MinYeon.

“You found the perfect piano sound,” she rebutted.

YeJoon stared at her for a moment. “Are you really going to finish your master’s degree?”

“I must finish what I started,” she nodded.

“Remember us when you’re famous,” DaEun elbowed her.

“She already is famous,” MinJae grinned behind his glass of soju. “Now she needs to marry an Idol.”

“Hajima!” she raised her voice as they all laughed.

After a few more drinks and pictures that were immediately uploaded to their Insta accounts, they broke up and MinYeon headed for her flat. There, she met a staff member of Big Hit and received a garment bag and shoes to take to YoonGi. She then changed into a pair of ripped jeans, oversized oxford, and v-neck sweater before grabbing her packed bag and walking out the door.

She dialed the phone and waited as she went down to TaeHyung’s car. “JunKi-ssi, this is MinYeon. Your brother just texted...”

“MinYeon-ssi,” he let out a relieved breath. “He told us you were coming, but didn’t give us your information.”

“Jimin-ie texted me your information. YoonGi-ya’s a bit preoccupied at the moment.”

“Ne.”

“I am driving TaeHyung-ie’s car and will be at Daegu International in about three hours.”

“I will take a taxi and meet you there, then.”

“Okay. I’ll see you soon.”

“Thank you for being there for my brother. It makes me very sorry that you aren’t his girlfriend… but I understand.”

“Okay. I’ll see you soon,” she ended the call and let out a deep breath.

#

They were in the same hospital, in the same funeral parlor as TaeHyung’s grandfather. She stood behind the family with her hands folded, gathering water, tissues, lip balm, and anything else the family needed while greeting family and friends.

His friends seemed to be a bit more courteous than TaeHyung’s, but there was still the occasional asshole who was way more interested in Suga than YoonGi. There was one man in particular who actually asked for tickets to their show in Seoul at the end of the month. She was glaring him down, wishing a thousand deaths on him when she looked up and met his mother’s eyes.

She smiled at her and nodded.

MinYeon relaxed and nodded back.

“Is that KMY?!”

She looked back to see a group of people looking past YoonGi toward her.

“Are you dating Xiumin’s yeodongsaeng?!”

MinYeon stared at him, her heart-shaped lips pursed tightly as her eyes shot lasers through him. “Stay classy,” she murmured under her breath.

“Does she have a bad temper?” his mother whispered to him.

“If pushed that far,” he smirked. “She has great manners, but her facial expressions tell you exactly what she’s thinking,” he glanced over his shoulder. “Oh yeah, she’s plotting death.”

She tilted her head. “I can hear you,” she hissed lowly.

“It would be rude to talk about you behind your back,” he goaded her.

“Far be it from you to be rude,” she smirked.

“Exactly,” he tilted his head back with water. “I need some air.”

“Go on,” his brother nodded for him to step out the back.

He walked past MinYeon and grabbed her hand, pulling her behind him. “You need air too.”

She followed him into a private room where they sat in comfortably overstuffed chairs and pulled out their phones. She began replying to texts as he updated his managers on his situation. He then looked up and watched her.

“What?” she asked without looking up at him.

“I heard you’ve been working with Monsta X.”

“I gave them a song.”

“Which one?”

“‘Myself’.”

“Did you finish it?”

“I was hashing out a demo when Starship contacted me with a meeting. All I gave them were words. I did work with them a little on it. WonHo’s production notes are extremely detailed. I’m impressed.”

“What are you and Hannah-noona working on?” he changed the subject.

“That’s top secret. It’s really good, though.”

“Has Jin-hyung heard it?”

“Only if she let him,” she shrugged her shoulders.

“Can I hear it first then?”

“What part of ‘top secret’ confuses you?”

“Come on, I’m in mourning…”

“Nice try,” she laughed at him.

“You’re so mean,” he sighed.

“I’m aware,” she sat back and watched him. “Does your mom know I’m with Jimin-ie?”

He rolled his eyes around in thought. “The day she called me, she mentioned that you were with TaeHyung-ie and the Parks seemed to know you very well. I told her.”

She nodded in appreciation. “I’m surprised I haven’t seen them today.”

“They’ll be here. The Parks are very supportive. Your boyfriend is the same.”

She smiled at him.

“Aish,” he sighed. “I hate that you’re so good together. I’ve never seen him so blessedly happy. He has changed so much.”

She watched him for a moment. “The day we decided we could no longer be friends… he came over to talk. He was thinking of leaving the group.”

“We all were about that time. A month later, we signed another seven-year contract. It’s all your fault.”

“What?” she laughed at him.

“You taught me to stop worrying about things I couldn’t control. You taught him to stop telling people what they wanted to hear and stop being afraid to hurt everyone’s feelings. You taught TaeHyung-ie to have more confidence in himself. You taught JeongGuk to open up about his feelings and stop hiding everything.”

“You are insane. You can’t pin all of that on me.”

“It’s true,” he smiled at her. “You don’t seem to know what a good friend you are. The day of our security meeting, it wasn’t just Jimin-ie who put you on their friend’s list.”

“Shut up,” she looked away.

“And there’s the sassy Libra,” he laughed.

They heard footsteps and looked up to see YoonGi’s father peek in. “The Park family are here.”

“Okay. Thanks, dad,” he nodded.

MinYeon reached into her pocket and retrieved a mint, which she handed to YoonGi. He took it and tossed it into his mouth as she then refreshed her lip balm. She then passed it to him. He smeared it on his lips and then blotted them together before handing it back. They straightened up and walked back out to the parlor together.

“Oh dear,” Jimin’s mother looked sad. “I bet you’ve had your fill of funerals this week,” she hugged her.

“I’ll be fine,” she smiled for her.

“This is your second drive from Busan this week, please come to dinner with us tonight,” YoonGi’s mother asked the Parks. “TaeHyung-ie and JungKook-ie’s families are coming as well.”

“We’d love to, thank you,” Jimin’s father nodded.

“How long will you be here this time?” Jimin’s mother asked MinYeon.

“When he’s ready to go back,” she explained. “He’s trying to talk his parents into moving to Seoul. He’s been looking at homes in UN Village. TaeHyung-ie’s doing the same.”

“Really?” she bit her lip and glanced at her husband.

“Don’t feel pressured to do the same,” she placed her hand on her arm. “He knows you still have ties to Busan that will keep you there.”

“Thank you, MinYeon-ah. It makes me feel better that you’re there to take care of him. If you are such good friends with his members, I can only imagine how wonderful you are to him.”

She was extremely moved by the words of her boyfriend’s mother. “Thank you,” she bowed to her.

The four families and MinYeon dined together that evening. She sat between YoonGi and JiHyun as they all looked over the menu.

“The mackerel sounds good,” YoonGi’s mother read over the menu.

“It does,” MinYeon agreed. “As does the duruchigi.”

“Squid?”

“Squid.”

YoonGi glanced across the table at his father and raised his eyebrows.

“Do you want beef gimbap?” MinYeon asked him.

“Yes please.”

“And he’ll probably want sweet potato,” she nodded to his mother.

“You still can’t order your own food?” she glanced at her son.

“I don’t need to, I have an impatient friend who orders for me,” he grinned as the parents all snickered.

“Aish,” she rolled her eyes as his father turned his head to laugh.

“You’ve apparently done this more than a few times,” TaeHyung’s mother giggled.

“And they tell me I have problems making decisions,” she complained. “It’s just food,” she laughed.

“You are so much like my hyung,” JiHyun laughed.

“Right?” YoonGi smiled at him. “It’s like they share a brain.”

“That could be dangerous,” he quipped.

“Sometimes it is,” he agreed.

“I’m… right here,” she waved from between them as the parents laughed. She looked down as her phone buzzed and smiled as photo after photo was delivered. “Today he and TaeHyung-ie are shopping,” she showed the photos to YoonGi.

“Aw…” he sighed as he smiled. “TaeHyung-ie is so happy!” he grinned. “Did you see the horse-riding photos? Hobi looked absolutely terrified.”

“Poor thing,” she giggled.

“Wow. Jin-ie-oppa looks so cool.”

“He always poses. He even poses in his sleep,” he quipped.

Jimin’s parents raised their eyebrows and glanced at one another. Jimin had yet to send them photos of his trip, yet his girlfriend was receiving many.

“Jimin-ie has a tan,” she turned her phone around and showed his parents.

“You have a phone call,” Jimin’s mother pointed to the phone.

She looked down to see a number that she did not recognize. YoonGi noticed the look on her face.

“Who is it?” he asked lowly.

“It’s a US number,” she whispered.

He raised his eyebrows before grabbing the phone from her hand and answering.

“Yeobosayo?” he answered and waited.

“I called to speak to Mina,” an American accent shouted over the line.

Her face fell as she straightened up quickly. YoonGi held up his finger and shook his head.

“There is no one by that name,” he spoke in perfect English.

“I don’t know her Korean name... Min... something. I know this is her number.”

“If you don’t know her name, you don’t know her,” he answered cooly.

“Look, this is her boyfriend...”

“No, you’re not,” he laughed.

“What? She went back and hooked up with some Chink?”

“We’re Korean, not Chinese. Wrong country.”

“There’s no way she’d date her own. She hates Korean men.”

“Dude, you really need to get a life. She doesn’t want to talk to you ever again. Stop calling,” he hung up the phone and looked at her.

“Since when are you fluent in English?” JunKi asked his younger brother from across the table.

“I took some classes,” he handed her phone back to her. “Okay?” he looked into her eyes. “If he calls back, we’ll just get a new number.”

“It is so annoying to keep doing that,” she pouted.

“Do I need to call your oppa and tell him?” he threatened her. “This is serious. He’s still stalking you, he’s just doing it on the phone. You have no idea where he called from.”

“Okay,” she hissed lowly. “A new number… again…” she placed her phone on the table. “Please don’t call Oppa. They’re leaving for Macao in three or four days. I don’t want him stressed out while touring.”

“Don’t test me, you know I have your Eomma’s number too,” he quipped, yet was still serious as well.

She huffed at him before looking away.

He pressed his lips together to suppress the smile of victory on his face. He was happy to have actually won an argument with her for once.

“MinYeon-ah?”

She looked up to see her beloved’s parents, with concerned faces, waiting to see if she was okay. “A guy I knew from UCLA,” she explained. “He’s been stalking me for four years. He keeps getting my number.”

“How serious is it?” TaeHyung’s younger sister asked from the end of the table. The families of idols were well-versed on hacked numbers and stalkers.

“He’s abusive and manipulative. He convinced some of my friends that I was crazy and they still believe that I made it all up.”

“Does Hyung-ie need to know about this?” JiHyun asked her.

“There’s absolutely nothing he can do from Malta, and he’ll get really angry that he wasn’t here to do what YoonGi-ya just did. I’ll tell him in a few days when he gets home.”

YoonGi’s mother watched her for a moment. “That’s why you got so angry when YoonGi-ya’s friends were being rude.”

“She did the same thing with TaeHyung-ah’s friends,” TaeHyung’s mother added.

“Ne,” she felt as though she were being scolded by her friends’ parents. “It’s also one of the reasons I am shopping for a manager at the moment.”

“Ah…” they all relaxed a bit.

“It’s probably a good thing you’ve been in Daegu so much lately,” JeongGuk’s older brother spoke up.

“Ne,” YoonGi agreed. He looked up as their waitress began passing out their drinks. He received his and then turned back to her. “Do you have whisky here?”

“We have Song Myeongseop Makgeolli, black bean makgeolli, yakju, and Song Myeongseop Soju.”

“That’s the soju with bamboo juice in it. It’s 32% alcohol,” MinYeon informed him.

“Two bottles of the soju, please,” he nodded his head.

“It’s 96,000 won per bottle,” the waitress warned him.

“That’s fine, thank you.”

She bowed before walking off.

“We’re going to need some anju,” MinYeon snickered.

“Mandu wants mandu,” he teased her as the parents laughed.

#

MinYeon and JunKi helped YoonGi to his room. As drunk as they were, he was much, much worse.

“You guys are awesome,” he smiled drunkenly.

“You are dead weight,” MinYeon complained.

“That was good soju, though.”

“It was,” JunKi agreed.

They dropped him onto his futon and stepped back.

“Good night, MinMandu!” he waved.

“Good night,” MinYeon giggled before walking off to JunKi’s room, where she was staying while in Daegu. She had changed into a hoodie and a pair of yoga pants when she heard a scratch at the door. She opened it as the Min family poodle burst through and made herself comfortable.

“Hi Holly,” she smirked before turning off the light. She climbed into bed and waited as the small dog cuddled into her chest and rested his head on her. “You’re so cute,” she pet her before falling asleep.

YoonGi awoke very early the next morning and peeked into JunKi’s room. As he stepped inside, he heard a small growl and burst into a smile. “Holly?” he whispered.

There in the middle of the bed, MinYeon was asleep with Holly cuddled into her arms, the dog’s head resting on her neck.

She again growled.

“Are you protecting Yeon-ah?” he sat down on the edge of the bed and patted the dog’s head. “Huh? Do you like MinYeon-ie? So do I,” he aimed his phone at them and shot a quick photo.

“Hmmm,” she blinked before looking up at him. “Hi.”

“Hi,” he smiled at her.

“Are you still drunk?” she grinned.

“Just a little buzzed, still. Thanks for helping my drunk ass to bed.”

“You’ve done the same for me,” she nodded.

“True.”

She rubbed Holly’s back as the dog licked her cheek and went back to sleep.

“She likes you better than me, I think.”

“Most people do,” she purred.

“Another truth,” he smirked at her.

“How are you doing? It’s one thing to be here mourning with your family, but I know you’re constantly thinking about everything you need to do when we get back to Seoul. ‘Jin’s Intro’ drops in less than a week, crazy schedules leading up to rehearsals, comeback, tour…”

“I’m good, actually. I have a friend who told me to keep my hands off of things I can’t control and I really try to do that now.”

“You’ve definitely changed,” she smiled at him.

“So ditch Jimin-ie…” he teased her.

“Okay,” she laughed. “I’m sure that would be pleasant for us all.”

“No shit,” he laughed. “The Parks have taken to you quickly.”

“They know their son well. They know once he’s made a decision, he’ll never change his mind.”

“And they know you’re a lot like him.”

She nodded in agreement. “My parents were the same with him. Even my brother is fine with him, but no one else.”

“The only other girl I’ve seen him with was completely wrong for him. I swear she drained the fucking life out of him.”

“Seouli’s sister? He told me.”

“Really? He doesn’t usually like talking about it.”

“We talk about everything,” she hummed.

“That doesn’t surprise me. You’re very easy to talk to.”

“You all comment a lot about how alike we are…” she rolled her eyes while deciding how to word her next sentence. “We share a few negative traits as well.”

He watched her for a moment. “I’m aware.”

“You are,” she agreed. “I’m sorry for that.”

“You’re sorry I was hurt,” he argued. “He does that too. If you were truly sorry, you would have done things differently. You just hate hurting people. Just like he was sorry I was hurt, but not sorry for finally telling you how he felt.”

“How can one be sorry for being in love?”

“And you both can justify anything that benefits yourselves.”

“Ahhh. I’m not going to win this one, am I?”

“I’m confident in my convictions.”

“So we’re at an impasse. I’m cool with that.”

“Of course you are,” he chuckled. He then turned serious as he looked off at the wall for a moment. “I’d be lying if I told you I no longer have feelings for you. You are honestly one of my favorite people on this planet… but you didn’t love me. You are crazy in love with him. I can’t compete with what he gives you, and I’m okay with that. It really makes me happy to see you both so happy and I will do everything I can to protect your happiness because I love you both.

She jumped across the bed and hugged him. “Since when did you become so emotional?” she cried into his chest.

“I’m pretty sensitive, I just don’t like to show it,” he smirked.

“Thank you,” she whispered.

“Thank you for being you,” he placed his hand on the back of her head and held her.

#

The next day, MinYeon stayed in her room and worked on editing footage for another vlog while YoonGi spoke with his parents. When he returned, he heard her speaking from his brother’s room and peeked in to find her Face Timing with ChanYeol. He frowned as he crossed his arms and leaned against the door to watch them.

“Did you get it yet?” he asked.

“I’m reading,” she answered.

“Read faster.”

“Just for that, I’ll read slower,” she answered without looking up at him.

“You are being a brat today.”

She cocked her eyebrow and looked up at him. “Do you want me to fix this or not?”

“Aish,” he looked away.

“Okay, so you need to remember that English is subject + verb + object.”

“Shit, I messed it up again.”

“It’s fine, it can be fixed,” she typed away at her computer before sending the document back. “Done,” she looked up to see KyungSoo standing behind him and smiled.

“Thank you. DO could have done this, but he’s busy.”

“Is he?” she asked. “Working a schedule today, is he?”

“Yes,” he sighed.

“I wish I could have spoken to him today. He’s much more handsome than you.”

“Ah!” he grabbed his chest. “That hurt.”

“The truth does often hurt,” she agreed.

“Ah!” he fell back as if shot. “Why do you hate me so much?”

Before she could answer, KyungSoo grabbed his shoulders and growled.

ChanYeol jumped and flailed as he fell to the floor, the two remaining bursting into laughter at his expense.

“I hate you both!” he squealed as KyungSoo gave MinYeon a thumb’s up.

“My job is done. Anneyong!”

“Bye MinYeonnie!” both men waved before ending the video.

She turned to find YoonGi waiting in the doorway. “Hi,” she rose up to greet him. “How did it go?”

“We have a plan,” he glared at her. “I have a phone chat with a real estate agent in an hour.”

“What’s... are you seriously angry about ChanYeol?”

“What would your boyfriend think if he knew you were speaking to… him?”

“He knows,” she smirked.

“That’s not the point,” he growled.

“Are we arguing about this?”

He shook his head and looked away.

“You apparently watched us. Did I in any way do anything inappropriate?”

“You think DO is handsome?”

“It was a joke,” she glared at him.

His eyes widened at her sharp, steely gaze.

“If you’re going to crap on my day, I can be on my way back to Seoul.”

He dropped his shoulders. “I’m sorry.”

They looked down as Holly stepped between them, her leash between her teeth as he wagged her tail.

“Aw... do you want to go for a walk?” MinYeon dropped down to attach her leash to her collar. “Do you want to take her, or shall I?”

“I apparently need the fresh air,” he sighed.

“Good,” she rose back up and crossed her arms. “We’ve been dating for right at 30 days, and either he or I have been out of the country for 12 of those. We are aware that this relationship isn’t going to be perfect.”

“I guess,” he answered slowly.

“And if we start getting too much heat, we’ve agreed to see other people. It’s our escape clause to keep the other two couples safe. Both sets of parents have been warned that we might be seen with other people.”

“That is… messed up.”

“We’re usually good at separating sex from emotion.”

“You’ve never been in love before,” he smirked. “And you’re both the jealous types.”

She rolled her eyes and sighed. “We’ll see. I’m hoping we never have to do that, but with my luck that means we will.”

He watched her for a moment and nodded his head. “You can do it. Out of every couple I know, including my parents, you’re the one that I honestly think can make it through anything.”

“That’s kind of scary.”

“Is it really? You don’t look scared.”

She raised her eyebrows.

“The night I told you I loved you; you were panicked. You’re nowhere near that now.” He loved being able to leave her speechless. “My brother’s been cooking,” he finally smiled. “He’s making galbi and roasted eel.”

“Okay,” she sighed as she watched him walk out the door.

#

YoonGi fried pork in a pan and added spices while MinYeon tossed blanched spinach with sesame oil and freshly chopped garlic. She then walked to the refrigerator and pulled out the pickled radish she had made before chopping up some kimchi that TaeHyung’s mother had sent home with them.

“Are the potatoes ready to fry?” he looked up at her.

“They don’t take long. Maybe ten minutes.”

“Okay,” he nodded as the rice steamer’s alarm went off.

The door opened and they both looked toward the living room as MiHyeon dashed in while carrying bags full of banchan. “Okay, I made cucumbers, acorn jelly, and fire chicken with cheese,” she began unpacking the dishes. “They landed about twenty minutes ago.”

“We only need to cook the gamjajorim and we’re finished,” MinYeon giggled before quickly hugging her. “Hi.”

“Hi,” she sighed in exasperation. “I don’t usually cook this much.”

“Relax. It’s okay,” YoonGi smiled at her.

She raised her eyebrows and turned to MinYeon. “Is he broken?”

“This is the new and improved MinYoonGi,” she snickered.

“I like it,” she nodded.

“Cool.”

A sound from outside caused them to glance up at the door. “They’re home,” they spoke before flying into action and setting the table.

The front door flew open as the previously quiet house burst to life with voices and shuffling of suitcases.

“Welcome home!” YoonGi looked through the window overlooking the living room.

“We texted you...” SeokJin looked confused. “Oooh… that smells awesome.”

“You have time to clean up from traveling, probably about fifteen minutes,” MinYeon called out.

“Is that my baby I hear?!” Jimin’s voice echoed as she burst into a bright grin.

“Ah… this is your first group thing since you started dating, huh?” MiHyeon glanced at her. “Nice.”

“Ne,” she poured ingredients into a bowl as Jimin walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist.

“That smells so good,” he rested his chin on her shoulder and relaxed. “I missed you.”

“I missed you too.”

“I bought you presents.”

“I’m a little busy at the moment,” she smiled at him. “Are you hungry?”

“Yes,” six voices grumbled.

“Hey Baby,” SeokJin purred before kissing his girlfriend.

“Hey,” she dropped what she was doing and hugged him.

Jimin stared at MinYeon expectantly until she dropped what she was doing and focused her attention to him. He grinned as he kissed her.

TaeHyung ignored them all and sat at the bar in front of MinYeon with a silly smile on his face. “Jimin-ie and I have an idea.”

“That’s scary,” YoonGi answered.

“Hmmm?” she hummed while pulling away and turning to him.

“We want to do a Vlive mukbang as the 95 Liners with you as a special guest.”

“Is that wise?” she raised her eyebrows.

“We can make up a story of how we met,” he waved it off, “but we can introduce you as our friend. That way if any fans see you around us at a show or something it won’t be strange. And then you can shoot the behind-the-scene for your channel.”

“That’s a good idea,” MiHyeon turned to them.

“I know,” he grinned.

“We have a day that we’re not recording next week,” Jimin kissed her cheek.

“Okay. Where and when?”

“I’ll make the reservations. I’ll try to get a private room at a nice restaurant,” TaeHyung typed on his phone.

“Just let me know.”

“Yeon-ah. Gamja.” YoonGi called to her.

“On it!” she pulled away from her boyfriend to finish cooking.

After their meal, TaeHyung, Hoseok, JeongGuk, and NamJoon did dishes while the others dispersed to their rooms. Jimin pulled MinYeon into his room and slid the door shut, locking it behind them.

“What are you doing?” She hissed lowly.

“You,” he kissed her.

“Where’s Hobi-oppa?” She spoke before kissing his ear.

“Dishes,” he unzipped her jacket.

“Your roommates are just downstairs.”

“Then we’ll be quiet… and fast,” he kissed her again before grabbing her by the hand and pulling her off to the closet. He then grinned evilly before pushing her up against the counter and kissing her deeply. He continued kissing her as he slipped his hands under the waistband of her shorts and squeezed her ass, earning an excited sigh just before she sucked his lips into her mouth.

He pulled one hand out and brought her right leg up to hook over his hip, holding onto the back of her thigh for support as he slid his right hand around her hip and between her legs. She let out a sharp breath as he rubbed his fingers against her, her body instinctively rolling against him as he worked really hard to control the growl from leaving his chest.

“Ah,” she breathed, digging her nails into his back as he slipped a finger inside. “You’re so mean,” she whispered.

“I told you we’d be fast,” he murmured against her lips. “I can always use my tongue.”

“The entire house will know we’re fucking if you do that,” she smirked

“And maybe the neighbors,” he added with a smug smile.

She threw her head back and let out a sharp breath as her breathing became labored. “Fuck,” she whispered as she placed her hand over his and directed him. Her chest heaved three times as she clamped her mouth shut, her muscles clamping wildly around his finger as he kissed her once more.

“That is so hot, baby,” he whispered lowly.

She pushed him back and whipped around to face the mirror as he pulled down her shorts. He locked eyes with her in the mirror before pushing his way inside her.

She grabbed onto the counter for leverage before pushing back against him. He pounded into her at a furious pace, grabbing onto her hips, but then moving his hands to her shoulders. He reached for a handful of brown locks with one hand and gently pulled back.

She let out a soft moan as he continued to move in and out of her quickly.

“You like that?” He whispered, watching her nod her head in the reflection. He then pulled harder as his hips began to make a slapping sound against her ass.

She threw her hand over her mouth and squealed as quietly as she could as she shuttered around him, followed by him grunting into her shoulder. He held onto her as they both leaned against one another for support, about to collapse as their legs shook in exhaustion.

He kissed her neck and cheek before pulling away, only to stop and look back up at her in the mirror.

“What?”

“You’re bleeding,” he reached for some tissues and handed them to her.

“Fuck me,” she sighed as she studied the smeared blood on her neck and shoulder.

“I did,” he purred.

“Not funny at the moment,” she cleaned up and threw the tissues into the trash.

“I’ve never had magic sex before,” he teased her. “Can we do it again so I can enjoy it?”

She rolled her eyes and sighed before pulling up her shorts.

He finished cleaning up and pulled up his shorts as well. “Hey,” he pulled her into his arms. “I’m sorry.”

“Lies,” she stared up into his eyes.

“I was too excited to notice that it was getting everywhere,” he kissed her. “Do you need anything? Chocolate? Ice cream? Choco Song Yi? Hot tea? A hot water bottle?”

“You are adorable,” she smiled at him.

“I will buy anything you want. Do you need… girl things? I’ll get those too.”

“Pads?” she giggled at him. “You’ll go buy pads and chocolate?”

“Shit yes. If I’m buying those things… Ah.”

“The world will know that Park Jimin has a girlfriend,” she laughed. “As sweet as you’re being right now, that probably isn’t a good idea.”

He stuck his bottom lip out and pouted. “I just want to help.”

“I know. I love you,” she kissed him. “I should be fine tonight. Besides, orgasms help with cramps.”

He smirked as he rolled his eyes around in contemplation. “I’m here if you need me.”

“Apparently,” she giggled. “I’m so glad you’re home.”

“Me too,” he rested his forehead against hers. “Are you really okay?”

“Yeah,” she whispered. “I’ve been dealing with this for like… ten years. I’m good.”

He smiled before kissing her. “I think we should take a nice, hot shower, get into some really comfy pajamas, and snuggle the rest of the night.”

“I think you’re right.”

A few hours later, MinYeon sucked in a breath as her name called her from a deep sleep. She slowly became aware of Jimin’s body beside hers, nice and warm against her achy belly. He growled as he too began to awaken, his hands instinctively moving to his girlfriend.

“What is it, Baby?” he asked, half asleep.

“Hmmm?” she blinked her eyes.

“Yeon-ah…”

They both froze a moment as they recognized TaeHyung’s voice, calling from his room.

“He’s having a nightmare,” she hissed as they both jumped up and dashed down the hall.

When they stepped into his room, he was sitting straight up in bed, his eyes wide open.

“TaeTae,” she sat to one side as Jimin sat across the bed from her.

“I need my phone, I can’t find it!”

“It’s okay,” she rubbed his cheeks with her fingertips. “Just lie back and relax, okay?”

“Hmmm,” he grunted before doing just that.

She sighed as she pulled up his duvet and tucked him in before brushing the bleached hair from his eyes. “He is completely asleep this time,” she whispered.

“He did this in Malta, too,” Jimin watched him, the light from the hall casting a warm glow in the room. He then looked around until he found TaeHyung’s phone hooked up to the charger.

“It started the night we went to Daegu, in the car. We had an awesome conversation while he was completely asleep,” she glanced at her boyfriend, a worried frown covering her face.

“He’s done this before, when we were rookies. He’s just stressed.”

“Jimin-ie…” TaeHyung called out to him.

“Yeah, bro?” he smirked at him.

“I love you, bro.”

He burst into a bright grin. “I love you too, bro,” his shoulders shook as he silently laughed.

“Awww,” she sighed. “I can’t leave him like this.”

He watched her through the darkness for a moment before nodding. “Get in,” he sighed before walking to the hall to turn off the light and close the bedroom door.

TaeHyung opened his eyes the next morning and looked to his right to see MinYeon curled up beside him. He then looked to his left to see Jimin with his arm over his eyes, sound asleep. “Bad night?” he cocked his eyebrow.

“You lost your phone,” she whispered.

He craned his neck up to see that his phone was exactly where he had left it before going to bed. He then realized that he must have been calling for his phone in his sleep. “Sorry.”

“It’s not your fault,” Jimin sighed, his voice raspy from sleep.

“You didn’t do it after we stayed,” she yawned.

“Awww,” he rolled onto his side and hugged her. “I love you too,” he laughed.

Jimin smiled as he rolled onto his side and watched them. How in the world did he get lucky enough to find a girlfriend who was also best friends with his best friend?

“I think I owe you both breakfast.”

“Or lunch,” she snickered.

“Lunch sounds good,” Jimin yawned. “I’m fairly sure she’s in the mood for a nice, greasy burger today.”

She glanced up at him and smirked before lying back down.

“You should be my girlfriend then, because that’s exactly what I want too,” TaeHyung laughed lowly.

“Okay. Today I’m your girlfriend,” she bit her lip and waited.

“Like hell,” Jimin growled as they burst into laughter.

#

A few days later, TaeHyung and Jimin waited at a table in a restaurant, their hair completely covered with beanies to prevent fans from seeing the colors of their hair for the comeback photo shoots and videos they had been involved in.

MinYeon arrived wearing a cute Chanel blouse and jeans with her hair curled into loose waves that cascaded down her shoulders.

“Are we going for the KMY or the MinYeon aspect?” Jimin asked.

“Mina Kim,” she nodded.

“Okay.”

“And we’re sticking to the Lotte concert meet?”

“Yes,” TaeHyung nodded. “You were already working with Suga on a song and you brought your parents to meet us backstage. We discovered that we’re all the same age and have been friends ever since.”

“Ne,” she nodded.

“Perfect,” Jimin logged into his Vlive app as TaeHyung set up the camera. “Are we ready?”

YoonGi walked into the lounge to grab a snack and saw HoSeok and SeokJin huddled over a phone, watching and commenting on a video.

“You are missing it, hyung. MinYeon-ie just caused TaeHyung-ie to spit soup out of his nose!”

“Ah,” he smiled. “That’s today?”

“Right now,” he pointed.

“What is the funniest EXO story you’ve heard?” Jimin asked before taking a bite of pork.

She smiled before speaking. “This actually happened when I stayed there,” she grinned. “One day, Suho and DO were discussing their love for makguksu. Sehun mentioned that he knew a really good makguksu restaurant in Chungheon...”

“That’s like an hour’s drive!” Jimin laughed.

“Were they that good?” TaeHyung asked.

“Not at all,” they burst into laughter. “They went on this pilgrimage for cold noodles with all of the members and staff... about 30 people. No one liked them, not even Sehun.”

“Did you go?”

“No, I visited my cousins that day and I’m so glad I did. Xiumin told me they made Sehun pay for everything,” she covered her mouth as they again laughed.

“Daebak,” TaeHyung giggled.

“What was it like growing up with a brother who is an idol?” Jimin read a question from a fan on the live chat.

“I was thirteen when he left for Seoul. I went through a phase where I was angry because my big brother left me. When EXO took off, my parents decided to keep my identity a secret, so I never went to any shows or fan signs. My first EXO concert was in LA when I was in college and I didn’t tell them I was coming.”

“You seem very close now,” TaeHyung spoke before slurping up noodles.

“We are,” she nodded. “I left for UCLA in 2014 just as Kris and Luhan were leaving the group, and my brother and I would speak a lot about their burdens and hardships. They lost their brothers,” she shrugged her shoulders. “When Insta came around, we all followed one another and it rolled over into a great friendship. When I finally moved to Seoul it felt as though I had known them all for a very long time even though we had never met.”

Jimin read the screen. “Who is your favorite member of EXO?”

“Xiumin,” she answered seriously with a bow as they burst into laughter.

“Rank them in order,” Taehyung ordered her.

“I can’t do that,” she shook her head.

“Who are you the closest with?” Jimin asked before taking a drink of soda.

She rolled her eyes around for a moment. “There are three, besides Oppa. First, there is Lay. Even though we have yet to meet, we are very close and our birthdays are the same month. Then there is DO. He is very protective. He always calls when my brother is away to check on me. And finally, there’s Chanyeol. We both just love music.”

“Ah,” the men applauded her.

“Were you into Kpop growing up?” TaeHyung read the next question.

“Of course. I’m the biggest VIP in Seoul,” she admitted to being a fan of BigBang.

“That’s not an exaggeration,” Jimin nodded.

“True statement,” TaeHyung followed.

“What is Xiumin doing today?” Jimin read aloud. “Isn’t he in Macao?”

“Ne. EXO is performing tonight and tomorrow. I am having dinner with them when they return.”

“MinMin is life,” TaeHyung laughed as he read the comment.

“This isn’t MinMin,” Jimin pointed to TaeHyung. “It’s KPK. KimParkKim.”

“TaeTaeMinMin,” MinYeon giggled at the comments. “Cute.”

“Is Jimin dating Halsey?” he read. “No.”

“Doesn’t she have a boyfriend?” TaeHyung asked.

“I have no idea.”

“Can you give us a spoiler for the new album?”

“No,” Jimin laughed.

“Are you the same Mina Kim with ‘Don’t Call Me Minion’?”

“She is,” TaeHyung nodded.

“I will be uploading a Behind the Scenes vlog to my page in a day or two,” she nodded.

“Will any other BTS members appear on DCMM?” Jimin rolled his eyes around before turning to her.

“I haven’t asked,” she shrugged her shoulders.

Jimin’s phone immediately buzzed as he glanced at the message that popped up. He burst into laughter. “JeongGukkie accepts!”

“Daebak,” she giggled.

#

HyeJin95: Anyone up for a chat?

MeSuHorny: Always.

DoggieDad: Sure. What’s up?

InYrArea: I was asked a question today and don’t know the answer.

Minion_95: Hive mind responses. I’m in.

CosmicBona: You are such a nerd, MinYeon-ie. I love it.

InYrArea: So… is semen vegan?

NoThanks: What the fuck did I just join?

iKonicSong: Damn it Jisoo.

InYrArea: It’s a valid question, right?

MeSuHorny: It’s not plant based, so no. It is not vegan.

Minion_95: And if you use your teeth, it isn’t cruelty-free either.

Lucky13: And there she is.

HyeJin95: HEHEHEHEHEHEHEHE

NoThanks: She’s not wrong.

GopchangKing: I just spat soju out of my nose!

Shirowa: Mina is wise beyond her years.

iKonicBobby: Who asked you that question, and how did you not know?

DoggieDad: Please don’t encourage her.

InYrArea: It was NaYeon!

TwiceAsNice: Please leave my name out of your shenanigans.

NoThanks: Okay, so I have a question.

CoffeeLUVrrr: Sorry I’m late. Give me a sec to catch up.

CoffeeLUVrrr: Why do I always miss the best parts?

Lucky13: What’s the question, TY?

NoThanks: Do women really like fingers?

MeSuHorny: Sex Ed with 95. I love you guys.

HyeJin95: Elaborate, please. What about the fingers?

NoThanks: They’re like… smaller and rougher than, you know, it.

Minion_95: It depends. Are you rubbing a genie’s lamp or stuffing a chicken?

TwiceAsNice: That’s a brilliant description!

Shirowa: HAHAHAHAHAHAHA

MeSuHorny: HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

DoggieDad: I can’t with you, Yeon-ah. I just can’t.

GopchangKing: So in conclusion…

AriesGoWheeeee: It depends on the mood, I guess. I could go both ways.

Lucky13: I think he got more than he was asking.

AndOnThe6thDay: My childhood innocence is gone.

CoffeeLUVrrr: Next question!

YeonAHHHH: Can oral sex cause tonsillitis?

HyeJin95: Kei. Honey. Who the hell are you blowing with a dick that big?

YeonAHHHH: It’s hypothetical!

Minion_95: Bummer.

InYrArea: I mean… just gargle afterward?

TwiceAsNice: HAHAHAHAHAHA

Shirowa: HAHAHAHAHAHAHA

MeSuHorny: HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

Minion_95: The more you learn, the more you know. Namaste, my friends.

GopchangKing: I would like to know the difference between the G Spot and Clit.

iKonicSong: I am so glad this isn’t a video chat tonight.

Minion_95: I mean… I could show you, but then I’d have to kill you.

MeSuHorny: Please, Queena. Teach me.

AriesGoWheeeee: Hyukkie, my love. The G Spot in inside.

HyeJin95: The Clitoris is outside.

GopchangKing: I’m more confused.

Minion_95: Okay boys, pay attention. You too, TY.

CosmicBona: Teach it, sister.

Minion_95: When you stick a finger inside and rub at 12:00, you’ll feel ridges.

Shuaaahhh: WTF is this?

MeSuHorny: Shhh. We’re learning.

GopchangKing: Please continue, Queena.

Minion_95: Rubbing those ridges is a very good thing.

AriesGoWheeeee: As long as you’re rubbing the genie’s lamp.

HyeJin95: When you spread the big lips apart, up at the top is a little hood.

CoffeeLUVrrr: Wait, big lips? Are there more?

TwiceAsNice: I know you guys have had sex before! Didn’t you explore?

DaeguLeo: Apparently not enough.

DoggieDad: Can we delete this chat when we’re finished? I feel so dirty.

Shirowa: Back off man, this is SCIENCE.

MeSuHorny: Thank you, brother.

NoThanks: I’m interested in learning more about this “little hood.”

Minion_95: As you should be, TY. And whatever you do, DON’T GOOGLE IT.

HyeJin95: They all just Googled it.

AriesGoWheeeee: Their poor phones are going to crash from porn.

CosmicBona: Now that they’re gone, wanna meet up for coffee?

YeonAHHH: Sorry, was looking for a mirror. Coffee sounds good.

InYrArea: Yes!

TwiceAsNice: They’re really gone. Not a peep.

HyeJin95: Squishy, are you still there?

MinYeon heard feet stomping toward her door, followed by the key. She raised her eyebrows and flashed her eyes up, waiting to see what he was doing. Jimin slammed the door behind him and kicked off his shoes before reaching for his shirt and whipping it over his head.

“So…” he grabbed her arm and yanked her up from the sofa, throwing her over his shoulder and slapping her ass before walking to the bedroom.

She giggled the entire time as he threw her down. “Wh… wha…”

“You are a troublemaker,” he accused her playfully.

“You’re just learning this?” she laughed as he yanked her short and panties down her legs, tossing them over his head.

He pushed her onto her back before reaching for her left ankle. He turned his head and nipped at it before gently biting on the skin.

She bit her bottom lip and let out a sigh.

“Nope, I don’t think that’s it.”

She raised her eyebrows and burst into a smile. “Are you searching for it?”

“I’m sure I’ll get there eventually,” he moved to kiss the inside of her knee. “But I’m not sure that’s it either.”

“Mmmm,” she hummed.

He worked his way down the inside of her thigh, kissing and licking as she spread her legs for him.

“You’re getting closer…”

“Should I video this to teach the others?”

“Keep going, and I’m fairly sure I won’t give a shit,” she growled lowly.

“My dirty girl,” he knelt onto the floor and slid his hands under her thighs. Grabbing onto her, he pulled her to the edge of the bed and flashed his eyes up at her.

Her lips parted in anticipation, forming a cute heart as she watched him.

He licked his full, pink lips before diving in to taste her.

“Oh my GOD,” she whimpered as his tongue slid over and over, down and around the area she had previously described to the chat group as she dug her fingers into the duvet.

“Did I find it?” he purred, his lips vibrating against her.

“Oh yeah.”

“Would you like to be rubbed like a genie’s lamp or stuffed like a chicken today?” he grinned as his shoulders shook from laughter.

“Genie,” she begged.

“Yes, Baby,” he returned to slide a finger inside her before taking her once again with his mouth.

She slid her fingers through his blonde hair as he worked diligently on pleasuring her before quickly moving her hands up to grasp the sides of her pillow. “Oh fuck!” she cried. “That’s it! Oh my God! Jimin-ah!”

He snaked his free hand around her hip and pulled her closer as her wails filled the entire apartment, echoing off the walls as she screamed his name from her soul.

He froze and looked up at her, her body twitching from the aftermath as her eyes remained tightly closed. Her chest heaved dramatically as she struggled to catch her breath and clamped her knees together while pulling away from him and rolling onto her side.

“Baby?” he watched her before resting his hand on her hip.

“Don’t touch me,” she pushed him away. “Give me a minute.”

He raised his eyebrows in confusion as he watched her.

She finally let out a deep breath and sat up to cup his face in her hands before kissing him with all that she had. “I love you,” she murmured between each kiss. “I love you so much.”

He unbuckled his belt and pushed down his jeans before crawling up to meet her on the bed. He rested on his knees and sat back on his heels as she wrapped her legs around him and held tightly to his shoulders.

He held onto her ass as he pushed his way inside her, kissing her deeply as she rolled her hips against him.

“You’re so tight,” he whispered. “Oh my God, you feel so good.”

“Everything’s… so damn sensitive now…” she whined. “I’m…”

He spread his knees and dropped her to the bed, never losing contact as he rolled his hips against hers. 

“Baby,” he growled as he reached for her headboard for leverage, pushing into her as far as he possibly could.

She gripped onto his ass, digging in her nails as she once again cried out.

He fell over the edge with her as her muscles clamped down on him with a force that overwhelmed him completely. He nearly collapsed from the feeling of it but caught himself on his hands before pressing his lips against hers.

CosmicBona: She’s not coming back, is she?

Lucky13: Found it! Thanks for the education, ladies!

HyeJin95: Oh shit, is Squishy still alive?

TwiceAsNice: She’s definitely not coming back.

InYrArea: If you feel the need to find another, I’m here.

CoffeeLUVrrr: I bow to the master. Coffee ladies?

YeonAHHH: See you there.

#

MinYeon looked out the window and smiled before glancing back at Jimin in the back seat. “Are you nervous?” she asked him.

“Slightly.”

“Why? You’ve met my parents before.”

“Not as your boyfriend,” MinSeok smirked as he drove.

“True,” she sighed. “I guess I was too busy worrying about Tae to be nervous.”

He watched her before nodding. “Valid point.”

“You even sound like her now,” MinSeok glanced at him in the rearview mirror.

“Stop picking on him,” she smacked her brother’s arm.

Jimin bit his lips and turned his head to laugh.

“Happy Gwangbokjeol!” the Kim siblings called out as they stepped through the door to their parents’ home.

“They’re here!” their mother screeched.

“How was the drive?” their father met them in the hall.

“A little rough in spots, but not like Gangnam right now,” MinSeok spoke as Mommy Kim burst through them.

“Jimin-ah!” she hugged him.

MinYeon and MinSeok looked up and stared at them before turning to one another.

“I thought we were her kids,” he whispered.

“Me too,” she returned to her father.

“She made yeongyang chaltteok just for him,” he mumbled.

“Wait, just for him?” she raised her eyebrows.

“Ne.”

She crossed her arms and glared at her mother. “You obviously don’t want what I brought you.”

“Yes, dear,” she pulled Jimin to the kitchen.

His eyes widened as he looked over at his girlfriend, who had her lips pursed into a tight little heart.

“I no longer exist,” she huffed.

“You’re still my angel,” her father wrapped his arms around her and kissed her cheek as she burst into a smile.

“Thank you, Appa,” she giggled.

“Aish,” MinSeok shook his head and walked off to the kitchen.

“Your hair seems darker,” his mother fussed over Jimin while cutting the fresh rice cakes into bars.

“It is a little darker, but still lighter than my natural color,” he explained.

“Here you go,” she handed him a plate.

“Thank you, Eomo-nim,” he grinned.

MinSeok dropped them off at her apartment later that night and they both collapsed onto the sofa.

“You were nervous,” she purred.

“Silly me,” he chuckled.

She crawled into his lap and faced him as he rested his hands on her hips and waited to see what else she had to say. “Why does this seem so easy?”

He thought back to his first relationship and remembered all of the fighting and problems he and Jai had. He shook his head before answering. “We know how to communicate with one another, and we see our own strengths and weaknesses in one another. I think… we’ve acknowledged the good and the bad in one another, and still want to be together despite of that.”

She smiled as she rolled her eyes.

“Or maybe because it only takes one look for you to turn me into a complete puddle of mush?”

“One look?” she teased him.

“You can have no makeup on, your hair on your head, have just woken up with a hangover after a night of eating ramen… And still take my breath away.”

“That was good,” she whispered against his lips.

“It’s true,” he kissed her. “I love you so much, Baby… and the day I get to tell the whole would that you’re my baby will be the happiest of my life.”

“The happiest?”

“Until the next happiest… and the next happiest… I don’t see it ending.”

She giggled as she kissed him. “I love you too.”

#

Jessi held up a handbag and looked it over before glancing up at MinYeon. “Ooh. I love that color,” she dropped the exorbitantly expensive handbag and walked around the table.

“I like the brown one,” Hyuna spoke up from behind MinYeon.

“I have more pink than blue,” MinYeon chewed on her bottom lip.

“There’s a typhoon heading this way, baby girl. Better make a decision soon,” Jessie teased her.

“I’ll buy both then,” she huffed.

“Never, ever change,” Hyuna giggled at her.

“I don’t plan to,” she looked around. “Speaking of… change…”

“Not you too,” she huffed.

“I heard a rumor,” she continued.

“Stop,” she growled before looking around.

“Girl, I knew about that two years ago,” Jessi burst into laughter.

“Two years?!”

“Ne,” she pursed her lips. “We’ve been talking about going public.”

“How will Cube handle that?” MinYeon asked her.

“I don’t think it will be good, but… I’m so tired of hiding it.”

MinYeon held her breath for a moment before looking away and letting out a sigh. “As long as you’re happy, Eunnie… I’m here for you.”

“Thank you,” she kissed her cheek before walking off.

Jessie watched MinYeon for a moment. “You got… really quiet.”

“All of this super-secret idol dating stuff is interesting,” she smiled at her.

“Interesting like… you want to try it too?”

“Pfft, no,” she laughed. “Interesting in like… I need some popcorn and a Coke.”

She threw her head back in laughter. “Same.”

Later that night, Jimin took a break from rehearsals and checked his phone to find KMY, Bona, NaYeon, and Mamamoo trending. He smiled as he looked through fan cams of the 95-Liners dancing at the Mamamoo show before switching over to his Kakao to read his messages. There, he found a selca of his beautiful girlfriend.

“Ah,” he sighed. “She’s so damned pretty.”

SeJin and JungMin stepped inside and looked around. “Are you all here?”

TaeHyung and JeongGuk looked up as the older members walked up to them.

“Ne,” NamJoon nodded to them.

“Typhoon Seolik will be here on the 23rd, and the storms should pick up a day or two before that. It’s throwing off our entire stage rehearsal schedule.”

“Can we move it up?”

“There’s no time to get the crew together and set up,” SeJin explained.

“So what are you saying?”

“We’ll probably go into lockdown on the 21st and have to wait until cleared to rehearse. Instead of four days we’ll be lucky to get two.”

Jimin ran his fingers through his hair. “We’ve already practiced as much as we can without being on the stage.”

“All I can tell you is to wrap up fittings, hair, and prepare for comeback. Start packing for the tour. Get as much done as you can and then take the two days off the Universe is giving you to rest.”

Jimin and SeokJin immediately met eyes for a moment.

“That’s a great idea,” SeokJin smiled.

#

Jimin unlocked the door with his key and peeked in to hear house music blasting from her studio. He smirked before kicking off his shoes and tossing his bag onto her bed before walking off to peek in.

“What’s that?” he yelled as she jumped up from her chair and grabbed her chest.

“You asshole!” she screamed as he threw his head back in laughter. “Damn it, Jimin-ah!”

“I’m sorry,” he reached for her as she turned down the volume. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” he continued laughing.

“Fuck you!” she breathed.

“But seriously…” he looked at her DAW. “House music?”

“I have an idea,” she nodded. “I have a chord progression in my head and I want to give it a try. I need a bass line and melody…” she rolled her eyes around for a moment before stopping and sitting back. “Why are you here?”

He kissed her cheek and smiled. “I am riding out the typhoon in my favorite place.”

“No rehearsals?”

“Nature trumps stage rehearsals.”

“We get a mini vacation before you leave?” she squealed as she jumped into his arms.

“You have me for two days,” he kissed her. “What will you do with me?”

She pulled away and looked into his eyes. “Really?”

“Ooh, my baby has ideas,” he purred. “Tell me.”

She sucked on his bottom lip before running her nose down his. “How… far… do you want to go?”

His eyes widened. “I’m getting hard just thinking about it,” he pushed against her.

“By the time I’m through with you, you’ll be harder than Quantum Physics,” she pressed her lips against his. “Wait, you’ve been rehearsing like crazy. How sore is your knee?”

“You just made me sound like an old man,” he blinked his eyes.

“It’s a legitimate question,” she laughed. “You may not be able to walk straight with the ideas in my head.”

He grabbed her by the ass and lifted her up as she wrapped her legs around him. He then carried her to her room and tossed her onto the bed before nearly tearing his shirt off. She pushed up to her knees and pushed his bag off before she crawled toward him.

“Do you trust me?”

He grabbed her hands and looked into her eyes. “I trust you more than anyone else.”

“Any time you want to stop, just tell me.”

His eyes bore through hers as he let out a breath and nodded his head.

“You… will love it,” she placed her hands against his bare chest and ran them down to his waist.

“Just don’t break me,” he whispered. “I do enough of that on tour to myself.”

“Promise me… if it hurts, tell me. It’s not supposed to hurt.”

“Damn, I love my kinky girl,” he kissed her.

“It’s time to introduce you to my little magic bag of fun.”

He offered her an amused smirk as she pulled away and dove over the side of her bed to reach a drawer. She opened it and retrieved a sparkly black leather bag. He crossed his arms from the end of the bed and watched as she expertly rolled out a towel and displayed every blindfold, cream, gel, lubricant, handcuff, dildo, vibrator, butt plug, and anal bead she owned.

“I don’t even know what some of those are,” he grew slightly concerned.

“No pain,” she whispered. “I don’t use clips, whips… the stuff that causes pain.”

“Good to know,” he chuckled.

She pulled her shirt off and tossed it aside. “Let’s play,” she held her hand out for him.

He accepted her hand and crawled beside her, landing on his side as he looked up at her and waited.

“Okay, you have to get to know the toys,” she grinned as he laughed. “This one…” she reached for a small bullet. “This is for teasing. It’s very soft,” she handed it to him. “You press this button…”

He watched her as he placed it against her skin and ran it down her neck. He then brought it gently over her bra, stopping over her nipple for a moment. “Teasing… got it.”

She pulled it from his hand and mimicked exactly what he had just done to her on him.

“Ah,” he breathed.

“There are three speeds,” she pressed the button once more and then again before turning it off. She moved it back to its spot and pulled off her pants, tossing them aside before turning back to the collection. “This is flavored lotion,” she turned to him. “By itself it isn’t that great, but…” she squirted some onto her finger and held it out for him.

He stared into her eyes as he sucked her finger into his mouth, nibbling a bit before pulling away. “Strawberry?”

“Mmm hmm,” she licked her lips. “I also have cotton candy and chocolate body paint.”

“Body paint?”

“That’s for another day,” she purred.

His jeans suddenly became painfully constrictive, so he quickly did away with them as she smiled at him. She then turned to retrieve a small butt plug with a sparky red heart on the end. “This one’s kind of boring, but serves its purpose very, very well,” she placed it into his hand.

“It’s cute.”

“It gives you something pretty to look at while you’re fucking me,” he growled.

“I thought seeing your hips slap against mine was already incredibly pretty.”

“But the orgasm… is so much more intense.”

“Oooh,” he kissed her. “Put it in.”

“You do it,” she handed him a tube of lubricant.

Without objection, he pushed up to pull off her panties and dove in to kiss her ass. As long as he lived, he would never tire of how beautifully round her ass was. He nibbled and licked her flesh before spreading her cheeks and moving in to taste her. Growing bolder, he moved his tongue up to slide across her tiny pink starfish and smiled to himself when she whimpered.

She lay on her elbows, her ass perched in the air as he poured out the lubricant, letting it run down her ass and toward her lips. He then rubbed it in, not missing a spot as she breathed heavily, enjoying his explorations immensely.

He then picked up the butt plug and stared at the shiny heart.

“Slowly,” she whispered. “It’s not like the other. There will be a little… resistance.”

He ran his fingers over her puckered hole, massaging it before pressing the cool metal against it. He slowly pressed it against her, his eyes widening as her muscular ring opened, swallowing the bulb until expanding to its widest point. As the rest of the metal was pulled in, she let out a lusty moan.

“That was awesome,” he laughed.

“Now it’s your turn,” she bit her lips before sitting up.

He watched her closely as she looked over her collection before choosing graduated beads. She turned and placed them in his hand. “Feel how soft they are?”

He pulled them through his fingertips and nodded.

“And…” she pressed the button at the end as he sucked in a breath. “It’s my turn to play.”

He bit his lip and smiled before falling back onto the bed. She immediately dove in to kiss his stomach, moving down to nibble on his hips. She brushed her hands over his muscular thighs and brought them up, allowing her space to rub the backs of his legs. She kissed his inner thighs before brushing her nose across his balls, causing him to arch his back and let out a moan.

She poured lubricant into her hand and continued to massage him, running her fingers over and over his pink star before dipping her fingertip in to test his reaction.

“Ah,” he clenched up.

“Relax,” she purred lowly before dipping down to take him into her mouth. He ran his fingers through her hair and sighed, not really caring what she did to him at that point. His woman was all about seeking pleasure and this moment was no different.

She slipped her finger inside him, up to her knuckle and waited as he breathed heavily. At that moment, she knew he was ready and lubricated the beads. “Ready?”

“Oh yeah.”

She smiled before pushing the smallest bead inside him.

He hummed, his breathing heavy as he waited for more, to which she obliged when she pushed in the next size.

He sucked in a sharp breath as he grabbed handfulls of the peach duvet. She rubbed the inside of his thighs and stroked him.

“Okay?”

“Yeah, Baby,” he smiled at her.

She licked her lips and smiled as she pushed in the next size. He closed his eyes and let out a groan. She watched him closely before pushing up to the final bead.

“Ah…” he cried out.

“That’s so hot, Baby,” she purred.

“God, I’m so hard,” he stroked himself. “Don’t let it go to waste.”

She crawled into his lap and slowly began to ride him before reaching back to turn on the vibrator to the beads.

He grabbed onto her hips as she rolled her body against his, causing him to moan loudly.

“That’s it, Baby,” she whispered. “Enjoy it.”

“Fuck,” he whined. “I can’t…”

She threw her head back and moaned.

“Oh God, oh God, oh God…” he cried out.

She moved his hand to the jeweled heart and moved it in tiny circles as she quickly burst into spasms, which in turn cause him to cum hard, yelling out his release as she quickly reached back and turned off the vibrator for him. 

“Oh my God!” he panted as she kissed him.

He cupped her face with his hands and kissed her passionately. “I love you so much.”

She giggled at him.

“That was…”

“I know.”

He wrapped his arms around her and fell back to the bed as they calmed down, only to fall asleep.

He opened his eyes to hear the sound of rain hitting the windows. The typhoon had arrived and they were officially locked down in their quarters. Oh darn.

He walked into the kitchen without a stitch of clothing on and wrapped his arms around her as she stood at the stove.

“Hi,” he kissed her neck.

“Welcome back,” she giggled at him.

“Wow, I passed out.”

“You need to eat. I have you for 46 more hours and that was the smallest of my toys.”

“Yes, aegi.”

She looked up to kiss him.

“Did you like it as much as I did?” he whispered.

“Mmm hmm.”

“How much?”

She slowly looked up at him. “I might just use you next time, instead of a toy.”

His body jolted to life as he grabbed onto her tightly. “Okay, food can wait…”

She laughed at him. “No! I don’t want you passing out again.”

He pushed his erection into her ass. “Too late.”

She turned off the burner and turned to face him. “Food first.”

He kissed her before letting out a sigh. “Okay. Food.”

#

Jimin stared into the mirror nervously as his stylist finished his hair. He went over and over choreography in his mind as SeJin peeked into the dressing room. “The families are here.”

“Which ones are here tonight?” TaeHyung asked from his chair.

“The elder Kims, Mins, and Jungs, as well as Hannah.”

Jimin raised his eyebrows as he waited hopefully. He knew MinYeon wasn’t going to be there tonight, but at that point he was hoping she would surprise him. She didn’t need to go to the Monsta X show, did she? They wouldn’t be performing her song until their next tour. Her place was beside him…

He shook his head in frustration. That was not the man he was. He didn’t act that way. Why was he wishing it now?

“Are you okay?” TaeHyung watched him.

“I wish she was here,” he spoke lowly.

“She knew you’d be crazy nervous tonight and didn’t want to add to it.”

He looked up at him. “She told you that?”

“Ne. The Monsta X show was a good excuse to stay away so you could focus. She’ll be here tomorrow night after we’ve worked out the bugs,” he smirked.

He let out a deep breath and nodded. “Okay.”

“Come on,” TaeHyung pulled him out to the green room to see NamJoon’s family speaking to YoonGi’s family while SeokJin’s family laughed with Hoseok’s family. He again felt as though his girlfriend should have been there as he looked around for something to drink.

“Jimin-ie.”

He looked up to see YoonGi’s mother walking toward him.

“Hello,” he smiled for her.

“Thank you so much for sharing your girlfriend with us during such a difficult time. She was such a joy to be around, and extremely helpful.”

“MinYeon-ie is very precious to all of us,” he nodded in agreement.

“Is she here tonight?” she looked around.

“No, she is at another show—a group she recently worked with. She will be here tomorrow night when my family is here.”

“Will she be at the party afterward then? I would love to see her again.”

“I believe so.”

“Good,” she hugged him. “You look so well. It’s good to see that you have a woman who treats you well.”

He pursed his lips and nodded for her. “Thank you.”

Pictures with the families were taken, the show began, and of course eventually ended. As he sat in his chair afterward, soaking his feet in ice water and massaging his sore knee, he read his messages on his phone.

Min_Mandooo: The Seventeenies ended up going with me tonight. It was so much fun.

He immediately angered as he rolled his eyes around the room. She couldn’t be there, with him, on the first night of his biggest tour, but she could be with JeongHan, at a Monsta X show. He wasn’t so worried about Joshua or SCoups, no they were friendly without being handsy. JeongHan however…

She then sent a photo of her with Monsta X, standing between JooHeon and WonHo.

“Your face is bright red,” YoonGi whispered from behind him.

“She is very good at pretending we’re not together when she’s with other men,” he clenched his jaw tightly.

He nodded silently. “It’s my understanding that’s what she was told to do.”

“I hate seeing her with other men.”

“Yet she can’t be seen with you,” he smirked. “You can’t have it both ways. You can’t keep her safe and be public.”

“I know,” he sighed. “This is so frustrating.”

“You’re both possessive and clingy. I have no idea how you’re going to make it work, but you will. I believe in you.”

He nodded his thanks as he walked away.

MinYeon had a buzz by the time she walked through the door to her apartment. She dialed Jimin’s number and waited.

“Yeobosayo?”

“Ssangdungi!” she squealed. “How was it?”

He sighed and rolled his eyes. “Are you drunk?” he whined.

“We found out tonight that JooHeon-ssi’s birthday is October 6th! The Libras had to celebrate,” she giggled.

“Aish.”

“Are you okay?” she turned serious.

“I’m fine. I need to get rest for tomorrow.”

“Okay…” she answered slowly.

“Goodnight,” he ended the call.

“Shit,” she huffed as she dropped her phone beside her.

The next evening, she introduced her family to those of Jimin, TaeHyung, and JeongGuk’s. They were deep into conversation when the group appeared to greet them and take pictures. She tested the waters while stepping back and watching her boyfriend make eye contact with everyone in the room but her. She had even worn a pair of tight, black jeans, pink peplum blouse, and very high heels just for him, and nothing.

She eventually made her way around the room and quietly wrapped her arms around him from behind. She wasn’t sure what the problem was, but she wanted him to know that she was there for him.

“Excuse me miss, you shouldn’t touch the talent,” he growled without looking at her.

She pursed her lips and glanced at TaeHyung with sad eyes before pulling away.

“What are you doing?” TaeHyung whispered to him.

“It was a joke…” he turned to see her whisper to her mother before walking out the door. “Shit.”

“We haven’t taken photos, is she coming back?” Jimin’s mother asked him.

“I don’t know,” he answered, suddenly feeling bad for pushing her away.

“What did you do?” she growled lowly.

“Yeobo,” his father pulled her aside, chuckling. “All couples have their moments, and he’s a little stressed right now.”

MinSeok walked out into the hall to see his sister squatting in a corner with her hands over her face. “Yeon-ah?”

She looked up at her brother and sighed. “Hi,” she looked around.

“Are you okay?”

She let out a sigh before nodding her head.

“What’s going on?”

“I don’t know. He started acting pissy last night and now he’s ignoring me. Whatever. I’ll just wait it out until he figures out what’s wrong.”

He raised his eyebrows. “I’ve seen you completely ghost close friends for ignoring you.”

She shrugged her shoulders. “I’m not going to stay in there and let him piss me off because I have to smile and be pleasant to his family for the next few hours and probably even after the show. He’ll let me know when he’s ready to talk and right before a show isn’t that time.”

He cocked his eyebrow and sighed. “Unless it’s about you and he needs to get something off his chest.”

“He had all day to do that,” she glanced down the hall. “Don’t worry about me. I’m fine,” she kissed his cheek before walking off to speak to one of the managers.

After the show, a meal was catered at the mansion and the families bussed over in their vans. The other families who attended the previous night also arrived as MinYeon’s family took a moment to look around the mansion.

“This is Kim MinYeon,” SeokJin introduced her to his parents as Heosok’s sister spun around and stared at her.

“Wow, you’re so pretty,” DaWon squealed.

“Thank you,” she bowed humbly as SeokJin laughed at her.

Jimin sat with his parents and spoke to them as he glanced up to see MinYeon speaking to NamJoon’s sister and cousin.

“She met your friends tonight,” JiHyun spoke to his brother.

“Which ones?”

“TaeMin, MinHo, Kai, Sungwoon…”

“Well… MinSeok-ie-hyung was there too,” he smirked. “She probably already knew them.”

“Taemin seems to like her,” his mother informed him. “They spent a great deal of the night speaking after they met.”

He nodded his head.

“She’s always like a hostess, taking care of the people you love,” she laughed.

“That’s a good way to put it,” his father smiled.

“Yeah,” he sighed. “Okay. I need to talk to her I guess.”

“You do,” his mother nodded. “You still have a habit of hiding all of your stress and anxiety from people you don’t want to hurt, but when you’re finally able to relax around the people you love most you take it out on them.”

“You’re lucky, bro. She can totally handle you,” JiHyun smirked.

“Would you have stayed if she were the one to push you away?” his father asked him.

“Probably not,” he answered honestly. He bowed to them humbly before looking around to find that she was now speaking to TaeHyung’s sister near the stairs. She focused on her conversation as he sat down on the steps behind her. When she still didn’t respond, he hooked his finger under her Gucci belt and yanked her down into his lap. She didn’t skip a beat as she finished her sentence to a laughing EunJin.

“Apparently, he needs to speak to you,” she giggled before walking off.

MinYeon sighed as Jimin wrapped his arms around her and kissed her cheek. “Mianhae,” he whispered.

“Seriously?” she pushed his face away with her hand.

“MinMochi, I’m so very sorry,” he squealed cutely while attacking her with kisses.

“No!” she tried to get away, but he wrapped his legs around her and crossed his ankles. “Ah!” she gave in and stopped struggling.

“I’m sorry I was a pissy little bitch today,” he whispered to her. “I know I shouldn’t get jealous when I see you with other men. I will try to do better.”

She turned and looked up at him. “That’s what it was?”

He nodded silently.

“Aish,” she shook her head. “Idiot,” she growled lowly.

“I know,” he hugged her tightly. “I love you.”

“I love you,” she sighed.

“Okay. We can eat now.”

She smiled as he jumped up and pulled her by the hand to the table to grab some food.

“Well, that’s finally over,” YoonGi murmured to his mother.

“Was that their first fight?” Hoseok asked TaeHyung.

“Yes,” he nodded. “I doubt we’ve seen the worst of it though. Can you imagine both of them losing their temper?” he glanced at YoonGi.

“I will be sleeping in my studio when that happens,” he snickered.

“Can I join you?” TaeHyung laughed.

“Nope.”

“Young love,” JeongGuk sighed as everyone slowly turned to him.


	6. SEPTEMBER – I WANNA BE THE BEST MAN FOR YOU

The night before was a blur. JeongGuk turned 21 in actual age, 22 in Korean age. This meant that he was now universally legal to consume alcohol. It also meant that SeokJin and Jimin had a new drinking partner in The States. It was also an opportunity to party one last time before leaving for their world tour, which they managed with gusto.

MinYeon opened her eyes and blinked a few times. She rarely forgot anything, thanks to her gifted memory. Yet the night before… “I can’t remember,” she whispered. Jimin growled from beside her as she sat up and immediately regretted that decision. “Fuck…” she jumped up and ran to the bathroom to vomit.

“Ugh,” he pulled the pillow over his head. “Do that quietly!” he complained.

She heaved violently before sitting back against the cool tile and looking around. She had no memory of returning home. The last thing she remembered was introducing the maknae to tequila… “Damn it,” she pulled her hair out of her face.

She flushed the toilet, brushed her teeth, and washed her face before crawling back into the bed and collapsing.

“You okay?”

“No.”

“Sleep it off, Baby.”

“I can’t remember,” she stared at the ceiling. “What the fuck?”

He popped his eyes open and sat up. “You? You can’t remember?”

“After the tequila… nothing. Gone. Oh my fucking God,” she ran her fingers through her hair.

“It’s okay,” he chuckled. “TaeHyung-ie has most of it recorded.

“What?!”

“Okay,” he laughed. “So… you started…” he couldn’t control himself, even though his head was pounding. “You started speaking Chinese…” he covered his mouth with his hand. “Korean… English… they no longer existed. We would speak, and you responded in Chinese.”

“What?” she couldn’t help but laugh.

“I called your brother to translate, and he was laughing so hard he couldn’t speak.”

“I’m kind of glad I can’t remember,” she sighed.

“YoonGi-hyung warned us that you were going to get sick and demanded that we take you home. He told TaeHyung-ie that he was in charge. That’s the last thing I remember.”

“So TaeTae’s here?”

“And I think Gukie. And maybe Jin-hyung.”

“Jin-hyung left to get hangover stew!” TaeHyung called from the sofa.

“Too loud!” JeongGuk’s voice followed.

“Ah…” MinYeon reached for her nightstand and pulled out a tin of pickled plums.

“The master is prepared,” Jimin smirked at her.

“Always,” she fed him one.

He lay back and threw his arm over his eyes. “Are you okay?”

“Is this what it’s like to forget something?”

“No. You’re freaking out. For us regular folks, it’s so normal we don’t care.”

“It really does suck to be you,” she smirked.

He held out his arm and sighed. “Come here.”

She rolled onto her side and snuggled up to him.

“Seven weeks,” he kissed her hair. “We can do this, right?”

“What’s the alternative?” she looked up at him.

“There is none,” he looked into her eyes.

“Then… I’ll be here when you get back, ready to ice you down and let you sleep in my lap.”

He smiled at her; his chest filled with the love he felt at the way she loved him. She was absolutely the perfect woman for him, and he couldn’t wait to spend the rest of his life with her. That, however, was a distant dream from their current reality. His smile fell as he let out a sigh and tightened his grip on her. “While I’m away would be a good time…”

She raised her eyebrows as her stomach churned once again. “I know,” she whispered.

“I’ll still get jealous… especially if you’re caught on a fan cam… but I also know you’re doing it for me and my team. Of the three girlfriends, you’re the one who can pull this off.”

“Okay,” she sighed.

“Make sure they know you’re still mine,” he grabbed her ass as she giggled into his chest. “I’m just letting them… borrow you.”

“Stop,” she whined. “That sounds awful.”

“One of these days I won’t have to share you with anyone,” he whispered.

“I don’t see that happening anytime soon,” she closed her eyes.

He rolled his eyes, pushing away the ache in his chest before kissing her hair once again and falling back asleep.

#

“Tonight is the Incheon Sky Fest,” MinYeon’s manager, Marcus Kyung of Miller Music Management went over her schedule. “Are you still going?”

“Yes. EXO’s still performing, yes?”

“Yes.”

“I would like to see my brother perform.”

“Okay,” he made some notes in his planner. “I was contacted for a meeting with Big Hit as soon as possible…”

“Why are you just now telling me?”

“An emergency on their behalf doesn’t always equate an emergency on yours. Sometimes you need to let the big fish wait.”

She let out a cleansing breath before answering. “I am close with Bangtan. If they are formally requesting a meeting, it is important.”

“How important can it be if they’re leaving for tour tomorrow?”

“I don’t know. Take the damned meeting and find out,” she snipped.

“It’s my understanding that SNU’s fall semester begins tomorrow and you are busy.”

“Not for Big Hit,” she bit her lip.

“If I’m going to manage you properly, I need to know your relationships. Who are you close to?”

“In SM, I’m close to EXO for obvious reasons, and NCT because I’m close to three of their members.”

“And they are?”

“Nakamoto Yuta, Seo Johnny, and Lee TaeYong. We are all the same age.”

“Anyone else at SM?”

She stared at him for a moment. “My oppas in EXO are close to others, and I might interact with them.”

“Such as?”

“Members of SHINee, Super Junior, and Red Velvet.”

“This all makes sense.”

She nodded her head. “I have worked with JYP and Got7. I am friends with their members, as well as members of Twice. I also know DoWoon from Day6.”

“I knew that.”

She nodded her head. “In YG, I am close to BigBang’s G-Dragon and T.O.P. I am close with BlackPink’s JiSoo and my friends are close to Jennie. I am close to some of their former artists as well… iKon…”

His eyes widened as he continued to write.

“I am close with two members of Mamamoo and three members of Seventeen… members of Boyfriend, Cosmic Girls, and I’ve worked with Monsta X,” she worked through entertainment agencies in her mind. “VIXX, TeenTop, 5urprise, KNK…”

“How am I supposed to keep up with your friends, you have too many.”

“The 95-Liners started a database…” she couldn’t help from giggling. “It sounds ridiculous, but… it was necessary, especially since I’m on my forth username since I joined them.”

“What should I know about your relationship with Big Hit?”

She watched him for a moment. “I am a secretly recognized girlfriend of Bangtan,” she gave in. Her manager had to know.

“Oh,” his mouth dropped. “Wow.”

“If they contacted you for a meeting with me, it is important.”

“Got it,” he nodded before reaching for his phone and dialing. She watched him as he spoke with a staff member. “In an hour?” he seemed surprised.

MinYeon nodded her head quickly.

“We will be there, thank you,” he ended the call. “You and Park MiHyeon have a meeting with your managers in an hour.”

“Hannah,” she nodded. “She is with FNC Entertainment and formerly a manager for EXO.”

“Your mind is like a steel trap.”

“You should try to get used to it.”

“Okay,” he sat back and looked over his notes. “Shall we head toward Gangnam then?”

“Sure,” she chirped as they gathered their things to leave.

They arrived at Big Hit and entered through the parking garage. She wasn’t used to stopping at the front desk, but the receptionists knew her nonetheless. Had she really been to the building so much?

“Have a nice day, MinYeon-ssi,” the head receptionist bowed to her.

“Yes, thank you,” she returned the bow before walking toward the elevators. “So I’m MinYeon today,” she spoke lowly to Marcus. “I’m usually Miss Kim or Mina.”

“Interesting,” he hummed.

They arrived on the floor as directed and met Hannah with her manager outside of the room.

“Hey,” they shared a hug.

“What’s going on?” MinYeon whispered.

“I guess it’s a girlfriend thing. They’re calling Seouli to join the meeting as well.”

She frowned before rolling her eyes in thought.

“Ladies,” their manager Ahn DaSol they recognized stepped out and ushered them inside.

They quietly took their places with their managers at their sides as the door was closed. Before a word was spoken, the door opened once more and SeJin stepped in.

“Manager-nim,” MinYeon relaxed when she saw his smiling face.

“Hello,” he bowed for them before taking a seat.

“Kim SeJin has been their manager for a long time,” she whispered to Marcus.

He nodded while taking notes.

“Hannah-ssi, MinYeon-ssi, Seouli-ssi,” he acknowledged each lady. “Okay, so… Bang-PD-Nim has had an idea,” he glanced around nervously. “In an attempt to both acknowledge Big Hit’s support of your relationships and reward your boyfriends for their diligence on keeping everything nice and quiet, we would like to send you to Los Angeles for a few days to surprise them.”

“Oh,” MinYeon froze.

“I was not expecting that,” Hannah tilted her head.

“When?” Seouli asked.

“That depends on your availability.”

“Hence our managers,” Hannah turned to hers.

“I begin classes tomorrow, but I could be there for the show on the 8th,” MinYeon didn’t need to consult a calendar when her entire life was trapped in her mind.

“I will need to be back by the 13th for a photo shoot,” Hannah read over her calendar.

“I’m completely free,” Seouli responded excitedly.

“It will be a surprise, so you will go to the show and be in the audience,” SeJin read from his notes.

“I’m not sure that’s a good idea,” MinYeon snickered.

“Joonie would fall off the stage,” Seouli agreed.

“Jin would fall on his ass,” Hannah grinned. “It has happened before.”

“I had forgotten about that,” he too laughed. “Okay, so we can surprise them in the green room before the show.”

They nodded in agreement.

“Four days in LA?” Seouli asked.

“Three days, four nights,” the DaSol read. “Depending on flights.”

“What is their schedule those days?” MinYeon asked. “It’ll be pretty useless if they’re working the entire time.”

Seouli agreed over the video.

“They have free days on the 9th and 10th with an interview at the Grammy Museum on the 11th. They will then fly to Oakland on a private jet and you will return home.”

“That’s actually better than what I could plan,” Hannah murmured to MinYeon.

“Right?” she whispered.

“Aren’t you following them, recording everything they do for future documentaries?” Seouli spoke up.

“Yes,” he smiled.

“So we’ll be hiding?” Hannah’s smiled dropped.

“No,” he answered slowly.

“We have decided to include your involvement with the group in a possible future documentary called ‘Bangtan Sonyeoja.’ We are not sure when it will air, if ever, but would like to eventually produce a documentary on Kpop girlfriends.”

“Ah,” MinYeon sat back in her seat and sighed. “You want to profit from our relationships.”

“And you will reap the benefits of being close to your man without hiding for once.”

Hannah cocked her eyebrow and turned to MinYeon.

“We still can’t be seen with them in public though,” Seouli spoke up.

“Yeon-ah can,” Hannah sighed. “She’s a 95 bestie.”

“It’s not as great as it sounds, Eunnie,” she argued.

“You can go to restaurants, bars, and clubs and just tell everyone you’re friends. There’s no way in hell I’d get away with that,” she argued.

“Ladies,” SeJin pressed his hands together. “Each of your relationships is unique, and each has their benefits and challenges. Please try not to compare yourselves to one another.”

The women stared at one another for a moment before nodding and relaxing.

“I’m in,” Seouli spoke. “I really need some time with him.”

“So true,” MinYeon agreed. She didn’t agree with a lot of it, but she did know that NamJoon needed to spend time with his girlfriend. Who was she to piss on this chance for them? And if she didn’t agree, would they still go through with the other two? How would Jimin feel if two of the three girlfriends showed up and she didn’t? “I’m in. He wants me to show him where I lived in college.”

“Any chance to spend time with him is worth it,” Hannah agreed.

“Okay, Apple, Banana, and Peach are on board.”

“What?!” all three women asked.

“Those are the code names your boyfriends picked out for you,” SeJin laughed.

“Hannah Banana,” she rolled her eyes.

“I use peach-scented skin care,” MinYeon giggled.

“I threw an apple at him during our first argument,” Seouli sighed.

“Simple, yet effective.”

“We will contact your representatives with your information.”

They rose to their feet and bowed as SeJin quickly left.

“Okay, so… I’ll see you in a few days.”

“I look forward to it.”

“I look forward to us all being together for once,” Seouli added.

“It should be interesting,” MinYeon laughed.

#

Jimin woke up and immediately reached for his phone. The last text he received from MinYeon was at 3:00 AM, telling him that she was at a peer group meeting and didn’t know when it would end. That would have been… 5:00 PM in Korea. It was now 3:00 AM and she still hadn’t called him.

He dressed and went to the hotel gym where he met up with TaeHyung and JeongGuk, along with security, a manager, and their trainer.

“Have you heard from Yeon-ah?” Jimin asked TaeHyung.

“Not since early this morning. The time change is killing me.”

“Yeah,” he started the treadmill just as SeokJin walked in and went straight to the treadmill beside him.

“Have you heard from Yeon-ah?” he asked sleepily.

“No, hyung. Why?”

“Hannah texted me at 3:00 AM to say she had a last-minute shoot and I haven’t heard from her since. I thought they might have gone out or something.”

“No,” he narrowed his eyes. “That was the same time I heard from her, though.”

“Call her now.”

“It’s like… 3:00 AM.”

“She’ll answer,” he shrugged his shoulders.

He pressed the button and pulled the phone up to his ear, only to receive her voicemail. “Nope. Nothing,” he sighed. “Bbang-tteok-ie! Have you died? Have you been kidnapped? I can’t think of any other reasons for you to not answer your phone! I fully expect to hear from you by the time I walk on stage tonight,” he rang off and huffed.

“That should go over very well,” JeongGuk laughed while lifting weights.

Their manager glanced up from receiving a message and quickly looked back down.

“What was that?” TaeHyung asked. When he didn’t answer, he walked over to him. “JungMin-ie-nim… you look suspicious.”

“There is a fruit basket being delivered to the venue and I was making sure it would be there in time,” he answered cooly, showing him the message.

TaeHyung squinted as he read it. “Apple, Banana, and Peach… that sounds good,” he hummed before returning to his workout.

By the time Hannah and MinYeon met up with Seouli and gathered their luggage, DaSol was waiting for them.

“How was your flight?”

“Quiet,” MinYeon’s eyes widened as she listened to three voicemail messages from Jimin. “He’s not happy.”

“He tried to convince SeJin-ssi to call the police to check on you,” she laughed.

“Crap,” Hannah laughed while typing a message for SeokJin.

“Where are they at the moment?” Seouli asked.

“They are in cars, on their way to the venue to eat and prepare for soundcheck.”

MinYeon rolled her eyes before nodding her head. “SeokJin-ie-oppa will tell you to find me,” she worked through Jimin’s thought process. “I’ll wait ten minutes after that and call him. I need something very sweet.”

“Hungry?” Seouli laughed at her.

“Sugar hurts my throat,” she smirked. “It will sound like I just woke up.”

“You frighten me sometimes,” Hannah purred before handing her half of the pastry she was saving from their flight.

“I get that a lot,” she answered.

“Jimin-ie!”

He looked up as he walked toward the door to the venue as SeokJin waved his phone. “Hannah just got home from her shoot, and she is exhausted!”

“I don’t suppose she can check on Min-ah…”

“I already asked. She said she’d call her.”

“Daebak. Thank you, hyung,” he chirped as they walked inside.

MinYeon looked around the city she once called home and smiled before dialing her phone. Just when she was about to leave a message, he answered.

“What the fuck, Baby?” he hissed.

“Hi. Sorry. Eunnie’s in town and took me out against my will,” she lied.

“Which one?”

“ChaeLin,” she rolled her eyes. “I collapsed onto the bed and fell asleep in my clothes.”

“You shouldn’t fall asleep in your makeup,” he scolded her as Hannah covered her mouth with her hand.

“I know.”

A horn honked from the car beside them as her eyes widened.

“Where are you this early? It’s like, what, five in the morning at home?”

“Nearly six… the traffic is horrible today. I have a meeting in two hours and will probably just make it on time,” she spoke cryptically. None of that was a lie.

“Okay. I have tomorrow off, so I’ll probably call you. Be prepared for hours of seeing my face on video chat.”

“I look very forward to seeing your face all day tomorrow,” she grinned at Seouli. “I love my Rice Cake.”

“I love my Squishy,” he sighed before ending the call.

“That was like watching a drama,” Hannah cackled.

“Slightly nauseating at the end, though,” Seouli stared at her. “Were you and YoonGi like that?”

The car quieted as DaSol glanced up at her through the mirror.

“Um… no. We never really got serious. We’re pretty good friends now, though.”

“Ah,” she looked out the window.

“You’ll see,” Hannah elbowed her with a sly smile.

#

NamJoon watched two of the managers whispering to one another before checking their phones. He rolled his eyes in thought for a moment before turning to YoonGi. “They’ve been acting strange.”

“Everything about today has been strange,” he tilted his head. “Did you notice that we have the next two days off? Jimin and JeongGuk had to fit in a recording session with Aoki the other day, but NOW we have time off. It doesn’t make sense.”

“And where is DaSol-ie-nim?”

“Right? Even SeJin-ie-nim has been acting strange.”

“Okay,” ShinKyu clapped his hands together. “We have special guests visiting in the green room. The first is a Korean record exec who lives here in LA and would like his daughter to meet you. They will meet privately and have photos taken before the others arrive.”

“Ah,” NamJoon sighed. “There it is.”

“Who are the ‘others’?” Hoseok looked up from threading his in-ears under his shirt.

“Acquaintances of Big Hit,” he answered as he was instructed.

“What does that even mean?” JeongGuk asked aloud.

Jimin burst into laughter from stepping into his shoes. “Anyone who might remotely be acquainted with a staff member,” he answered.

“A cousin of a friend of a former roommate,” TaeHyung teased their maknae.

“Something like that,” ShinKyu answered as SeJin stepped in and nodded his head.

“That’s it!” YoonGi rose to his feet. “Why are you all acting so strange?”

“Are we?” he asked calmly.

SeokJin squinted his eyes at him. “You’re a horrible liar.”

“That’s true, but I have nothing to lie about,” he smiled at him.

“It’s no use,” Jimin shook his head. “What’s the worst they could do to us before a show, anyway?”

One of the stylists snorted while trying to hold in a laugh as every eye in the room turned to her.

“What do you know, Noona?” Hoseok accused her.

“Allergies,” she fanned her face before walking off for a tissue.

Jimin’s eyes flittered around the room as he cocked his eyebrow. “I’m ready.”

“Crap,” JeongGuk complained as they burst into laughter.

“JK’s Jimin today!” NamJoon referred to the fact that Jimin was usually the last to get ready. “Okay.”

They filed into the green room to meet their fans.

Seouli glanced at the time on her phone yet again before looking around the room. She had forgotten what the “hurry up and wait” life of a Kpop girlfriend was like. She was looking forward to returning to it, pending the outcome of the next few days.

MinYeon glanced at her backside in the mirror and straightened her skirt before whipping her flat-ironed hair over her shoulder. She then touched up her tinted lip balm and stepped back.

“You look perfect,” Hannah smirked at her. “I swear you two share a brain,” she shook her head.

“What?” she raised her eyebrows. “The lighting in the hotel is terrible. They need more natural lighting.”

“Oh my God, you’re right,” Seouli turned to Hannah.

“See? Twins.”

Seouli looked her over, noting her designer clothes, matching shoes, jewelry, makeup… she had every detail meticulously in place and was still fussing in the mirror. “It’s amazing,” she admitted.

“Just tell me I’m pretty and leave it at that,” MinYeon whined as they both burst into giggles.

The door opened, causing them all to whip their heads toward them and wait. SeJin bowed to them and smiled. “They are meeting a special fan at the moment. We will leave in a few minutes.”

“You’re leading us in?” Hannah was impressed with the intensity of this plan.

“I will take full responsibility of their actions.”

“Can I get that in writing?” MinYeon deadpanned as they all shared the laugh.

“Anneyong,” NamJoon waved to their young fan as she stepped out of the room with her father. They all dropped their shoulders and stretched their necks and arms, working off nerves and jitters for their upcoming performance.

SeJin opened the door and peeked in with a smile. “Are you ready for your next guests?”

“Ne,” TaeHyung waved him in.

The three women walked in together with smiles on their faces.

JeongGuk burst into a bright grin. “Noonas!”

TaeHyung’s mouth dropped open.

“Liar!” Jimin yelled at his girlfriend.

Hoseok and YoonGi gasped at the same time.

“How?!” SeokJin yelled.

“Baby?” NamJoon was completely speechless.

“Tada!” the ladies held their arms out.

“Oh my God,” SeokJin spoke in English as he grinned, pulling Hannah into his arms to hug her.

“Wow,” NamJoon looked Seouli over before doing the same.

Jimin glared at MinYeon playfully as she walked up and smiled at him. “You lied to me.”

“It was a good lie, though,” she bit her lip as she grinned at him.

“I can’t trust a single word that comes out of your mouth, can I?” he accused her.

She followed his perfectly combed-back hair over his ear with her fingertips before resting her hands on his chest. “Nope.”

He smiled before kissing her.

“What is this?” NamJoon asked SeJin.

“Bang-PD-nim wanted to thank you for trusting him enough to tell him about your women,” he explained. “They were called in the day before you left and only given five days of notice to leave.”

“How long are you here?” SeokJin looked down at his girlfriend.

“Four nights,” she grinned.

“Woah,” Jimin laughed. “I thought I wasn’t going to see you for seven weeks… and here you are.”

“Here I am,” she giggled.

“The original idea was for us to be in the audience tonight,” Seouli laughed.

“No!” Hoseok spat.

“Bad idea,” TaeHyung added.

“This is perfect,” Jimin rested his forehead against MinYeon’s and let out a content sigh. “This is how the show in Seoul should have been.”

“This is better,” MinYeon whispered.

“You’re right,” Seouli whispered to Hannah. “They are… intense.”

“Pictures?” SeJin held up a camera and waited.

They took the group photos and then photos of each of the members with their girlfriends. Then, MinYeon took selcas with the maknae line as they posed around her.

“Alright Baby, Oppa’s gotta work,” NamJoon purred in English as MinYeon burst into laughter.

“Wow. This is new.”

“This is going to be fun!” Jimin kissed her.

#

One by one, the members were escorted to their rooms by their managers. NamJoon stared at the door nervously before opening it and stepping in to see Seouli standing nervously at the foot of the bed. His heart skipped a beat as he let the door close behind him and walked toward her.

“We need to talk,” he looked her over.

“We do,” she agreed.

“But you look so good and I missed you so much.”

“Then talking can wait,” she kissed him.

“Nae bomul-ya, I’m home!” SeokJin walked in the tossed his bag onto a chair before wrapping her up in a long, lusty kiss.

She giggled against his lips as he smiled at her.

“These have been the longest five days of my life, seriously,” he teased her.

“I’m just ready to get this over and get back to work,” she teased him.

“Admit it. You missed me.”

“Not yet. I’ve been enjoying the break, honestly.”

“Yah…” he gave her an incredulous huff. “Keep talking like that and I’ll start calling you ‘Noona’ again!”

“Do it and you’ll be sleeping alone for a very long time, my love.”

“I am confident that I will not,” he pulled her to the bed and pulled her down into his lap.

“Where does this confidence come from?”

“My pink socks,” he wiggled his eyebrows.

“You brought the pink socks?”

“You bought them for me, I brought them.”

“Aw…” she kissed him.

Jimin burst through the door and tossed his bag aside, making a beeline to the bedroom. He suddenly became confused as he looked around, but realized that there was a glow coming from the balcony. He smirked before stopping to eavesdrop on her conversation.

“I told you I was going on a trip…” she whined. “Aish, you drive me crazy. Yes. In Incheon, before you went on… I had just come from the meeting… MinSeok-ie! Are you fucking kidding me right now? Does it matter? I’m in LA, I cannot!”

He raised his eyebrows and continued to listen as her speech pattern sped up.

“I am completely safe here; this trip was planned by Big Hit. I’m not lying. I’m not!” she growled. “Fine. You can call Eomma, I told her. Call Obahan while you’re at it. You do that! Completely embarrass yourself, you ass!” she ended the call.

He sat on the end of the bed and waited for her to return. It took a few moments, but the door finally opened.

“Oh,” she was genuinely surprised. “Sorry. I didn’t know you were back.”

“Is everything okay?” he held his hand out for her.

She sighed as she sat on his knee. “My brother’s being a dick,” she spat.

“I heard that,” he pushed her hair over her shoulder as he watched her. “But your hair looks… amazing tonight,” he smiled as he changed the subject for her.

“I know,” she rolled her eyes playfully.

“And your dress,” he ran his hand down her back. “It really accentuates your ass nicely.”

She smiled as she rested her forehead against his shoulder. “I knew you’d like it.”

“Thank you for coming, Baby.”

“I think I might have sold my soul to be here,” she laughed nervously before sitting up. “Apparently, we’re not being edited out of the footage.”

“What?”

“Big Hit is reserving the right to keep the footage of us for a possible documentary that may or may not ever see the light of day. They want to have a show about Kpop girlfriends if the climate allows it in the future.”

“Ah,” he looked away for a moment.

“I had so many arguments ready. I mean ‘Bangtan Sonyeoja’? Aren’t they alienating some of your fans by assuming that every man needs a girlfriend?” he smiled proudly as she ranted. “I think it’s complete bullshit.”

“That was a huge step for you.”

She nodded her head. “I did it for Seouli and NamJoon-ie,” she answered lowly. “She was so excited… they deserve to be together.”

“If they would have been here tonight and you weren’t… I would have been really sad.”

“I wouldn’t do that to you either,” she smiled.

“I know.”

“Do you? Do you know how much I love you?”

“I have a pretty good idea,” he kissed her.

#

The next morning, Hannah and SeokJin arrived in the private suite to grab some food to find Jimin, TaeHyung, and JeongGuk half asleep at the table while nibbling on food.

“It’s before noon,” SeokJin smirked at them. “Where’s MinYeon-ah?”

“Doing what she does,” Jimin smiled.

“Rental car,” TaeHyung nodded.

“Oh,” Hannah laughed. “You’re doing LA today.”

“Redondo Beach?” JeongGuk looked up from his phone.

“Nice choice,” Hannah nodded.

The door opened and MinYeon walked in, a spring in her step as she sat between Jimin and TaeHyung and stole a slice of watermelon. “Okay,” she answered a text while speaking. “I rented a really nice car…”

“What kind of car?” TaeHyung asked her.

“A Mustang convertible.”

“What is that?” JeongGuk asked.

“A really nice car,” she repeated.

“How much did you pay for it?” Jimin asked her.

“I flirted with the girl behind the desk and got a discount.”

He grinned as he looked up at her. “That’s my girl.”

“Mmm hmm,” she nodded. “We are meeting my first roommate, Melissa. She was with me at Starbuck’s the day we met.”

“How fun,” TaeHyung chuckled. “Will she remember?”

“I’m the only one who remembered,” she nodded smugly.

“I remember now,” Jimin laughed.

“What are you guys talking about?” Hannah sat down next to JeongGuk.

“We actually met at Laguna Beach in 2014,” MinYeon explained. “They were doing a mission for Kcon and asked my friends and me to learn the Bangtan chant and take a selca.”

“I looked it up and we have the video of the exact moment we met,” Jimin nodded proudly.

“Wait, that was you?” SeokJin blinked as he looked at MinYeon.

“The girl in the pink bikini,” she chirped.

“Damn,” he looked at Jimin. “Seriously?”

“Ne.”

“Wow,” he tilted his head. “Small world.”

“Totally,” TaeHyung stuffed a strawberry into his mouth.

“I am no longer friends with Emma, but Melissa will meet us today,” MinYeon informed them with a smile.

“Wait, since when do you drop friends?” JeongGuk’s eyes widened.

“When they accuse me of being a crazy bitch and try to convince all of my friends,” she pursed her lips together.

“Is this a ‘Jordan’ thing?” TaeHyung mumbled.

“Ne,” Jimin growled lowly.

“The dude who’s stalking you?” SeokJin became concerned. “Is he here?”

“I have no idea where he is,” she stared at her phone. “My brother and I had a discussion about it last night.”

“That’s what it was about?” Jimin glared at her.

“We’re not staying around here, and he has no idea where I am.”

“He will if you start calling all of your friends.”

“I called the ones I trust, and that was only two people.”

They locked eyes for a moment until he turned back to his food. “Okay. If you trust them…”

She nodded before eating a grape.

The four met up in the lobby an hour later, decked out in beachwear, hats, and sunglasses, strolling through like they owned the town. MinYeon led them to her rented Mustang and loaded up the trunk with their bags and towels before sliding in. The motor roared to life as she started the engine.

“Woah,” the men exclaimed happily as she revved the engine for their benefit.

“Fuck yeah,” she purred in English before throwing the car into gear and taking off.

Jimin watched her as she sped through the streets of LA, constantly looking over her shoulders before pulling onto the 110.

“How in the hell did you learn to drive like this?” TaeHyung squealed from the back seat.

“Four years of combat driving,” she smiled.

“You’re going like ten over the speed limit,” JeongGuk complained.

“I’m keeping up with traffic,” she pointed out.

“True,” Jimin looked around at the scenery. “This highway is huge.”

“The 405 is massive. I try to avoid it at all cost,” she glanced down at her buzzing phone.

“Nope,” Jimin took it away and read the incoming text. “I can be there in an hour,” he read the English words.

“That must be Laney,” she nodded. “Melissa already told me she would be there about the time we get there.”

He held his hand out and waited until she laced her fingers through his.

“Bro, she’s going 85, let her drive,” TaeHyung demanded.

She laughed at him as she glanced over her shoulder and switched lanes. She continued to weave in and out of traffic until she pulled off at their exit. She turned a few corners as the pier came into view and she turned into the parking garage. After finding a spot and grabbing a ticket from the vending machine, they grabbed their bags and headed to the beach.

“It’s not too crazy,” TaeHyung looked around.

“It’s a Sunday around the time that church lets out. It’ll be dead for another hour or so.”

They picked a spot in the sand and spread out a blanket before dropping down to look around. MinYeon looked up toward the street and burst into a bright grin before waving.

“Noona, could you get my back?” JeongGuk pulled off his shirt and handed her a tube of sunscreen.

“Of course,” she knelt down to quickly slather his back.

“Later!” he ran off toward the water as MinYeon stood up to greet her former roommate.

“Hi!” they squealed before hugging.

“Oh my GOD! You look so good!” Melissa pulled away.

“So do you!”

“I swear, you don’t age! What the hell?”

“Hey, do you remember the weekend after I moved into the dorm and we went to Laguna?”

“Of course.”

“You know those Korean guys that stopped to take a selfie with us in front of Starbuck’s?”

“Yeah…” she spoke slowly.

She smirked as she turned to introduce them.

“No way!” she laughed. “Seriously?”

“This is Jimmy and Taylor. Jay just ran to the water,” she pointed.

“I’m Mel,” she waved.

“It’s nice to meet you,” Jimin stood to shake her hand.

“Wait, you’re the guy in the Bulls jersey?”

“Yeah,” he nodded shyly.

“Holy shit, I dreamt about you for weeks after that!”

“Awesome,” he flirted with her as TaeHyung rolled his eyes.

“Nice to meet you,” TaeHyung shook her hand.

“Your English has definitely improved,” she giggled. “How did you end up meeting again?”

“My brother is friends with their friends. It was fate,” she smiled slyly.

“Must be.”

“Holy shit, it’s Mina-fucking-Kim!”

They all looked up to see a tiny Filipina walking toward them.

“Oh my Gaw, it’s Laney-fucking-Baluyot!” she ran to her.

“You are such a bitch!” she pushed her away. “How dare you change your number and not give it to me!”

“I’m so sorry,” she sighed. “I’ve changed it like six times, if it makes you feel any better.”

She pursed her lips and glared at her.

“I know. I’m a horrible friend. I’m sorry.”

“It’s been five months. I thought we were tight.”

“We are.”

“Is she the one in the pic with the black dresses?” TaeHyung asked Jimin.

“Ne.”

“You broke rule #1,” Laney sighed.

“It’s unforgivable,” she saddened. “You’re right. I’m a bitch. I should have known better.”

She glanced over at the blanket and rolled her eyes. “Which one of them are you fucking?”

She burst out laughing before hugging her. “Guess.”

“God, they’re both hot…”

“You should see the one who went into the water,” she growled. “Come on.”

They all went out into the water and played for a while before MinYeon grew tired and walked back to the blanket. She took a moment to enjoy the sun, the energy, and the view as Jimin sat behind her and trapped her between his legs. He caught himself on his hands and leaned back, also taking in the sun. She smiled as she leaned back, using him as a chair.

“Are you having fun?” she looked up at him.

“Yes. Thank you.”

“It’s weird, being so… normal.”

“Relaxed,” he agreed, looking down into her eyes. He knew he shouldn’t, but he wanted so badly to kiss her. All it took was one fan, one picture innocently posted on social media to ruin everything. One kiss could start a scandal they would never recover from as a couple, and he wasn’t about to ruin everything for his own selfish desires. “But not normal,” he saddened.

Her chest tightened as she looked back out to the water.

“Have you decided who to make your fuckboy while I’m gone?”

“It takes time… and you’ve been gone less than a week. I really did start classes, too.”

“It doesn’t take time to fuck a guy from the club.”

“Because that’s totally my style,” she smirked.

“No, you have to fuck the mind before the body,” he goaded her.

“Damn right,” she giggled as he grinned out at the water.

“You look tired. You should have slept longer today.”

“Jetlag is always worse for me when I come this way. I’ll sleep when I get home.”

“What should we do tomorrow?”

“I can take you to campus, show you where I used to live…” she smirked. “We could go shopping… Laney wants to meet up for dinner or something.”

“I like her. She’s cute.”

“We met at the Asian Student Union. I dated her brother Ulan for a few months… it didn’t work out.”

“Of course you did,” he felt his phone vibrate and reached out to the bag to grab it. “Oh… kay…” he hummed. “The three couples are having a private dinner tonight and it will be shot…” he sighed. “What the hell?”

“How late? I wanted to go out.”

“Out?”

“Out,” she wigged against him.

“Oh. Out,” he understood perfectly well. “I don’t think it would take very long for us to eat.”

“Good, because I brought a really cute black mini shirt with grommets, zippers, and chains all over it. You’ll like it.”

“I don’t think that’s appropriate for our meal,” he chuckled at her. “What about that De La Renta I saw hanging up?”

“I should take my straps down, I don’t want tan lines,” she reached for the back of her neck.

“Or I can put more sunscreen on you,” he reached for the tube and squirted it into his hands before massaging the cream into her shoulders.

“Is it a trap?” she glanced over her shoulder at him.

“Maybe. They’re going to explain things to us before they turn the cameras on.”

“Right,” she sighed as JeongGuk walked up and plopped down beside them.

“Noona. You’re a goddess.”

“You like her?” she purred.

“She knows Korean…”

“I taught her well,” she studied the body language between TaeHyung and Melissa and grinned. “I should add ‘Matchmaker’ to my resume.”

“Kim-PD-nim, Singer, Songwriter, Producer, Composer, Park Jimin’s Super-Secret Hot AF Girlfriend, EXO Princess, 95-Liner Queen of Communications, Matchmaker,” Jimin chuckled. “Why not?”

“Is that in order?” JeongGuk grinned at them.

“Hell no,” he quipped.

“Should we go to a club tonight, or karaoke?” she asked the maknae.

“I wanna dance.”

“Club it is,” she nodded as the other three joined them. “Skybar later tonight?” she asked her friends in Japanese, the one language TaeHyung and Melissa had in common.

“Sounds fun,” Melissa smiled at TaeHyung.

“Will anyone else be joining us?” Laney asked.

“Probably,” she answered cryptically. A manager would most definitely want to escort them there.

“Are you getting hungry?” Laney asked them in Korean.

“Ne,” Jimin sat up.

“The pier has a seafood restaurant that’s run by a Korean family,” she pointed behind her.

“It’s not very good,” MinYeon shook her head. “Pacific Fish has a really good spicy cod stew. There’s an International Boardwalk that’s like permanent street food vendors and they have American, Mexican, Japanese, Boba…”

“Let’s just walk around and check it out,” TaeHyung shrugged his shoulders.

They gathered their things and walked off to leisurely stroll along the pier. Jimin slipped his hand around hers and quickly kissed her cheek, the bravest move he had ever made in public up to that point. She smiled and leaned into him as she enjoyed their time together.

#

MinYeon and Jimin were the last to arrive in the convention hall of their hotel. Of course, she was in a floral, strapless, gathered, Oscar De La Renta mini-dress and he was in Gucci.

“How much did she pack?” Hannah hissed when she saw her.

“There’s not much material there, I doubt it took up much space,” Jin mumbled.

“Do you ever not look absolutely perfect?” Seouli stared at them.

“We spent the day at the beach,” she spoke slowly. “I thought we look thrown-together.”

“I told you, you look hot as fuck,” Jimin spoke lowly before kissing her cheek and slapping her on the ass.

“TaeHyung-ie’s ‘Brain Bleach’ idea is sounding more feasible by the second,” NamJoon goaded them.

“Hey, I was the one with the original idea after seeing them make out in the hall of a hotel in Japan,” Jimin pointed to SeokJin and Hannah.

“When?” Hannah nearly snorted.

“The night of our first date,” SeokJin sighed blissfully. “I regret nothing.”

“And… let’s begin,” SeJin’s cheeks flushed bright red as he stared at his tablet. “As your lovely ladies might have told you, we are planning a docu series…”

“Series?” Hannah spoke up. “You never said it was a series.”

“We’re not sure what will end up being produced, at the moment. We are simply gathering footage for every contingency. There is a chance this footage will never see the light of day.”

“That would be a waste,” MinYeon mumbled.

He cleared his throat as everyone quieted. “There is a possible show of some sort in which we share the trials and tribulations of the girlfriends of Kpop stars.”

“What happens if another of us begins a relationship?” NamJoon asked.

“We shall include her as well.”

“What if they are not female?” MinYeon spoke up.

SeJin blinked his eyes as he stared at her.

“I think Yeon-ah stole his tongue,” SeokJin chuckled.

“Our plans are not perfect,” he finally spoke. “We will tackle that when we get there and handle it in a way that makes all of Bangtan proud.”

“Wow. That was impressive,” Hannah giggled.

He let out a breath as he nodded.

“Will this include interviews as well?” Jimin asked.

“As of this moment, yes, but tonight we’re recording your interactions and trying to get a glimpse inside your relationships. We already have a lot of material from the Seoul shows. There is also a possibility of future vacations together, much like ‘Bon Voyage’.”

“So… we still have to hide, we still have to be careful, but when we are together you want it documented?” NamJoon tapped his fingers on the table.

“Yes. The only interviews we will do are to get your stories as a couple.”

“If we get hacked, if any of this gets out…” SeokJin shook his head.

“We are still keeping this quiet within our management team. There are only three of us who even know that you have official girlfriends.”

“You, DaSol, and JangMin?” NamJoon clarified.

“And Bang-nim.”

“And our managers,” MinYeon glanced at Hannah.

“And our families,” Hannah included.

“In this line of business, that is still a very small circle.”

Jimin looked between his hyungs for a moment before speaking up. “I take it that our original plans are the same?”

He nodded solemnly.

“You got pissy and nearly ruined our shows at home when you saw photos of her and your friends,” SeokJin glared at Jimin. “How in the hell are you going to pull this off?”

“We don’t seem to have a choice,” MinYeon nodded. “We can do this.”

“Are we in agreement?” SeJin looked around the table.

“Bangtan Sonyeoja is now a thing,” NamJoon’s eyes widened. “Who would have thought it possible?”

“Okay. Behind those curtains, there is a Two-Star Michelin-Rated chef preparing a meal for the six of you. It will be recorded, but keep it casual. Make sure you mention things like the surprise, where you’ve come from to be here, and what you’ll be doing when you leave. We will record each couple walking through the hall to get here, and that is all.

“Scripted, yet casual. Got it,” MinYeon nodded.

Jimin threw his head to the side to watch her. “Okay?”

“Okay.”

#

The next morning, MinYeon and Jimin dressed casually in jeans and matching Chanel sweaters before leaving for the manager’s suite at their scheduled time. They were wired up with microphones and had their makeup touched up while NamJoon and Seouli finished up their interviews.

They exchanged places and waited for the lighting to be tested as NamJoon spoke to Jimin.

“Have you seen either of your dongsaengs today?” he mumbled.

He bit down on his bottom lip before turning to MinYeon.

“I believe they are both in their rooms, but we have not technically seen them since about two this morning,” she answered sweetly.

“Elaborate, please,” he watched her.

“They each had a slumber party in their room, and I doubt much sleeping was done,” she smiled proudly.

“Oh,” he spoke slowly. “How the hell did you manage that?”

“Because I’m Min-ah,” she scrunched her nose, giving him a level three aegyo, which caused Jimin to throw his head back dramatically in laughter.

“We’re all having dinner together tonight, I will have them check in,” Jimin chuckled.

“Oh, are there any plans for your birthday before we leave?” MinYeon asked NamJoon.

He raised his eyebrows and smiled. “Seouli’s staying until the thirteenth, I’m good.”

“Ah,” she giggled. “Awesome. So?” she turned to Seouli.

“I’m moving back to Seoul in October.”

“Yay!” she clapped her hands together.

“What?” Jimin looked pleasantly surprised. “Congratulations!”

“We’re ready,” the production team spoke.

“Bye!” the couples waved as Jimin popped his neck and back.

“Okay, you are the only couple who people are familiar with due to your public friendship in the media. You are also the only ones who have a ‘name.’”

“MinMin,” Jimin grinned.

“JiMinYeon,” she added.

“MochiMinMochi, is another one,” he looked at her.

“It’s been said that if you ever go public, you would be Korea’s ‘It’ couple.”

“Is there a compensation package for that?” she asked seriously as Jimin fell over in laughter.

“So tell us your story…”

“The funny thing is that we met back in 2014 and didn’t realize it for a while,” Jimin grinned. “Bangtan were on a mission for KCon in LA and some of our tasks was to teach someone our chant and take selfies with people. Jin-ie-hyung, TaeHyung-ie, and I were on a team together and found a group of pretty girls outside a Starbuck’s. We taught them the chant and took a selca. We already had the selca we needed, but we continued to take photos with cute girls,” he snickered.

“And you remember this too?” they turned to MinYeon.

“I have an eidetic memory, I’m the one who brought it to his attention.”

“Was there a spark back then?”

“Oh yeah, she’s hot,” he teased her. “I was going to ask her number, but we ran out of time on the beach.”

“So fast forward to 2018. What led us here?”

They turned to one another for a moment. “Her brother, EXO’s Xiumin-sumbae-nim, is friends with Bangtan’s Suga. That lead to them deciding to work on a song together, and brought you to Big Hit.”

“We found out we were 95-Liners and you introduced me to others. We just… started meeing up and showing up at the same places.”

“Then we realized that our birthday is on the exact same day,” he laughed.

“The same day?”

“I am twelve hours older exactly.”

“Noona,” he teased under his breath as she glared at him.

“Okay, so when was the moment things changed?”

They stared at one another.

“I don’t think anything changed…” she smiled.

“I think it just grew more intense. ‘Hey she’s cute,’ turned into ‘I can’t leave without telling her how I feel’ really quick. Even then, we went back and forth until we sat down and talked about it.”

“So… how long have you been together?”

“Our 100th day is the day before our birthday,” he nodded proudly.

“On tour.”

“On tour,” he reached for her hand.

“Out of the three couples, you’ve been together the least amount of time. What is your dynamic within the group?”

“We’re a little different, I think,” Jimin explained. “Hannah-noona was a manager for another company and taught us Japanese. She helped with our first Japanese recordings. She was more like an older sister to us before she became Jin-ie-hyung’s girlfriend. We even used to tease one another because we’re both Parks.”

MinYeon watched him as he spoke.

“Seouli-ya was a fan we met at one of our first fansigns. Even though she’s been away at college for four years, she’s always been like family for our group. She and her sister came to as many events as they could when we were rookies.

“MinYeon-ie has a different relationship with each member of the group. She’s very close with TaeHyung-ie and takes care of JeongGuk. She and Hobi-hyung watch game shows together and she cooks with Jin-ie-hyung. She and YoonGi-hyung bounce ideas off one another and write music together. And NamJoon-ie-hyung asks her technical questions about production and writing sometimes. They’re both really smart, so they sometimes debate things and it’s really fun to watch.”

“So she’s close with the whole group?”

“She’s met all of the parents and siblings and they all love her.”

She looked away shyly.

“What does her family think about you?”

He burst into a grin as she rolled her eyes.

“Kim children do not exist when Park Jimin is there. My mother and halmoni spoil him.”

“What kind of future do you see together?”

“I know what I want and how I feel… but the truth is we just don’t know. I’m in a profession that depends heavily on the relationship I have with my fans. Without their support, I can’t do this job. Unfortunately, that will always come first.”

“We also live in a country where your reputation is everything, even above the truth. There are exceptions, but most Kpop fans don’t want to know or see their idols in public with partners,” she nodded.

“There is also the dark side of celebrity, and in the short time we’ve been together have both experienced very negative, scary things. Because she’s the sister of another idol, she is scrutinized a little more, in my opinion. At the end of the day, I will do anything to keep her safe.”

Her eyes fell to the floor as he squeezed her fingers.

“How do you keep a relationship together when you rarely see one another?”

“Video chats and presents,” Jimin laughed. “If I only have five minutes to talk, she will set a timer and end the call.”

“Sometimes we’ll keep the chat going even when we’re busy just to feel like we’re together,” she rolled her eyes. “My study group has no idea how much Park Jimin knows about our projects,” she laughed.

“Say you weren’t celebrities, what would you be doing right now?”

“I’d still be a college student,” MinYeon smirked.

“I’d like to think I’d still be a dancer, but I’d probably be competing in martial arts, hopefully at the national level.”

“I think we still would have met,” she glanced at him. “I would have just kicked you around first.”

“Most likely,” he agreed.

“Min YoonGi describes you both as having incredibly intense personalities, which leads to intense passion but also intense disagreements. What are your thoughts on that?”

She looked at one another for a moment.

“I have friends who have told me that I’m too much,” she answered. “I don’t have a filter or an ‘off’ button,” she snickered.

“They say that opposites attract, but we get told time and time again that we are exactly alike. We have the same mannerisms, reactions, strengths, and weaknesses. It would be very easy to give up and say this is too much, but I think we’re both changing and growing now. She’ll do something and I’ll step back and realize that I would have done the same thing and then we talk about it learn from it.”

“We do share a lot of things, but we have enough differences to balance one another out, I think.”

“What differences are you referring to?”

She let out a huff as he rolled his eyes toward her and grinned evilly. “Aegyo,” they spoke at the same time.

“Please no,” she purred in English.

“Aegyo cures everything,” Jimin stated confidently.

“Lies,” she argued.

“I’ve gotten her up to a level four,” he nodded arrogantly toward the camera. “It was difficult, I needed a nap afterward.”

“Would you stop!” she smacked his arm.

They finished up and headed back to the room to grab their things when YoonGi peeked out and saw them.

“What are you guys doing today?”

“UCLA field trip,” she answered as Jimin pulled her hand.

“Can I go? Please?”

“Wow… are you finally bored enough to leave the hotel?” her mouth fell open as Jimin yanked her.

“Yes.”

“Give us an hour,” Jimin growled as he unlocked the door.

“I thought we were leaving now…” MinYeon turned to him.

“An hour!” he gave her one of the looks that told her exactly what was on his mind as an excited chill climbed up her spine.

“Text me!” YoonGi waved before disappearing back into his room.

#

“Okay, so this is ‘The Gaylord’ and I lived here for a year,” MinYeon stopped in front of the grey stone building. “Across the street is the High School for the Arts. Before it was a high school, it was The Ambassador Hotel. It was the place to be in Old Hollywood. The Academy Awards were held there, photo shoots were held there, Robert Kennedy was assassinated there… a lot of history,” she explained.

“On the bottom floor was The Coconut Grove, which was a night club. From the Coconut Grove to the Gaylord, which at that time was a hotel, was an underground tunnel for celebrities to go back and forth to avoid paparazzi. It was the VIP entrance, if you will. When I lived there, there were many residents who had been there since about that time.

“Most of my neighbors

were very artsy. There were actors, sculptors… I lived between a sculptor and a photographer. I felt very safe there. I lived on the sixth floor and would get invited to parties. It was very nice to go drink and have fun and then just go back up to your apartment.”

“So… was it haunted?” TaeHyung asked her.

“I never experienced anything supernatural. Sometimes I felt like someone was watching me, but it turned out he was,” she huffed. “That’s another story!”

YoonGi chuckled at her.

“So anyway, on the bottom floor of The Gaylord is a cool bar, and it’s next to a Korean Plaza where I honed my ramen skills and learned to live on triangle gimbap and tteokbokki.”

“Respect,” JeongGuk nodded.

They turned the corner. “So we call this Korean Plaza for obvious reasons. There’s Zen Gastro Pub and a Pieology, but over there at The Boiling Crab there’s usually a long line to get in. A block away is Chapman Plaza,” she pointed. “If the Koreans are celebrating anything, they gather there. And there is a massively amazing barbeque restaurant there. There’s also hookah, which is really fun. There’s boba, ice cream… it’s like Myeondong, but they’re all sit-down restaurants.”

“Where did you get real food?” YoonGi asked her.

“Near the Gaylord in a shopping mall with a place called Zion Market. I was very happy when I found it,” she smiled. “Over there is Young Dong Noraebang, many a drunk night had there… and there’s a bingsu shop… their red bean bread is really good… oh! Haus café employs really cute boys and girls who look like they’re from a Korean dramas. Awesome eye candy.”

“I thought we were eating,” Jimin leaned against her.

“There’s Soban,” she pointed. “They give you like… 12 banchan. Look, Melissa’s already there and Laney…” her voice trailed off. “Oh. She brought Chang and Kiko.”

“Is that a problem?” Jimin asked her.

“I don’t think so,” she pressed the button for the crosswalk and watched the people across the street through her sunglasses.

“You just got really quiet,” YoonGi spoke lowly. “Do I need DoSol?” he raised his phone.

“It might not be a bad idea,” she turned to him. “Kiko will definitely know who you are.”

They dashed across the street, both TaeHyung and Jimin taking her by the hands as they all laughed like school kids. By the time they made it to the restaurant, they were all laughing as well.

“Hi!” MinYeon accepted hugs from her friends.

“Oh my God, Mina, are you kidding me?” Kiko squealed.

“Why don’t we go inside?” she raised her eyebrows and pulled her through the door.

They all sat around a table with two grills as many banchan were placed in front of them. MinYeon was pleasantly surprised when YoonGi ordered LA galbi, brisket, and pork belly for everyone with soju and water.

“I might faint,” she laughed at him.

“It’s just barbeque,” he made a face at her as she giggled.

“Okay,” Kiko could no longer stand it. “What the hell are you doing with Bangtan in LA?!” she squealed.

“What?” Melissa looked up.

“Okay,” she raised her hands. “They’re on tour here and I came to visit my friends,” she offered them vaguely.

YoonGi watched the interaction carefully, ready to press the button to call DaSol at any second.

“You introduced us, though. That’s a tight friendship.”

“It is,” she agreed. “So…” She glanced between Melissa and Laney, “These are Jimin, TaeHyung, JeongGuk, and YoonGi. I’m sorry I gave you fake names, but…”

“I get it,” Laney smiled at JeongGuk. “No problem.”

“I’m good,” Melissa flashed her eyes at TaeHyung.

“YoonGi-ya, these are Kiko, Chang, Laney, and Melissa.”

“Hello,” he waved nervously.

“And now we’re caught up.”

“We so are not,” Chang huffed at her. “You fucking disappeared.”

“Aish,” she looked at Laney.

“I tried. He’s pissed.”

“I’m not going to apologize every time I see you. I have my reasons…”

He rolled his eyes and sighed. “Okay. I know your reasons. I’m sorry.”

“That was easy,” she looked up as a pot of spicy galbijjim was placed between her and Jimin.

He took a bite and his eyes lit up. “That tastes like home.”

“Yes,” she agreed.

“How spicy is it?” TaeHyung leaned over.

“Endorphin-producing,” MinYeon smiled at him.

“Ugh,” he sat back and turned to the candied sweet potatoes in front of him.

“Okay, so… who are these guys to you?” Chang asked her.

“It’s a Korean thing… that when you’re born the same age as someone you can relax on the honorifics and formal speech and stuff,” Melissa explained to him. “These three are the same age and these two guys,” she pointed to Jimin and TaeHyung, “are in the same group as these two guys,” she pointed to JeongGuk and YoonGi.

“Nice job,” MinYeon nodded at her and handed her a glass of soju.

“And their ‘group’ happens to be one of the biggest Kpop bands in the world,” Kiko elaborated.

“The guys that were at The Rose Bowl?” he raised his eyebrows.

They nodded humbly.

“How did you meet?” Laney smirked.

“Well… funny story,” MinYeon giggled nervously. “My brother is a Kpop idol.”

“Shut the fuck up… you are NOT KMY!” Kiko threw her chopsticks down.

“You can go with that if you want,” she glanced to Melissa and raised her eyebrows.

“That would make you MinMin,” Kiko looked between Jimin and MinYeon. “Holy shit, is MinMin REAL?”

“Okay,” YoonGi spoke in English and held his hands up. “Let’s slow down, please.”

TaeHyung glanced over his shoulder to see DaSol sitting near the entrance, sipping on a soda, ready to whip them out at a moment’s notice. He nodded before turning back.

“Yeah, Kiko. I wouldn’t have called you if I knew you’d act like this,” Melissa whispered to her.

“I’m sorry,” she spoke in Japanese as she bowed.

“It’s okay,” they returned in Japanese.

“It’s okay to be excited,” JeongGuk smiled kindly at her.

Jimin reached for MinYeon’s hand under the table to calm her, but she pulled away. She didn’t want to have to explain anything further.

“So let’s talk about Mina instead,” Laney grinned. “Tell us stories from the past five months.”

“We want stories about her in college,” Jimin pressed his hands together.

“A story for a story,” Melissa giggled.

Jimin turned to MinYeon. “That sounds familiar.”

“Does it?” she smiled at him.

“Okay… most recently, on my birthday,” JeongGuk spoke English very well as he tattled on her, “she got so drunk she could only speak in Chinese.”

The table burst into laughter.

“Please tell me there’s video,” Chang couldn’t help but laugh.

“Oh yeah,” TaeHyung turned his phone around. They were in tears as they laughed while watching.

Their meat was served and shears and tongs passed around as Jimin turned to the opposite side of the table and waited.

“Our freshman year, we were out past curfew and locked out of the dorm,” Melissa leaned over the table. “I knocked lightly on the dorm mom’s window to see if she’d let us in, but when I turned back around, Mina was gone. I went crazy, I thought she was snatched, or tripped, or whatever. I was about to scream her name when I looked up at the moon. It had appeared from behind a cloud and perfectly illuminated the tiny little ninja crawling up a drainpipe to the window of our room.”

The Koreans clapped their hands together while laughing.

“Was the window unlocked?” YoonGi asked.

“It was,” MinYeon informed him. “Because I am a planner.”

“Did she let you in?” Laney was crying in laughter.

“No she fucking did not!” she yelled as they laughed louder. “They dorm mom finally answered and escorted me to our room. Sweet, perfect little Mina had run her hair under the faucet, threw on her pajamas, and was on the phone with her parents when we arrived.”

“Funny story about that,” MinYeon sat up as her ears turned red. “That was a random call to the Korean delivery restaurant we had on speed-dial. That wasn’t my mom.”

Again, the table burst into laughter as Jimin rested his forehead on her shoulder.

YoonGi began throwing meat onto the grill in front of him as Laney did the same, all while laughing.

“I can’t leave these two alone when they’re drunk. They made friends with a wedding party and ended up getting invited to the wedding,” TaeHyung pointed to MinYeon and Jimin.

“Of course, they were wearing Chanel and Yves St. Laurent to the club,” JeongGuk smirked.

“I see no problems with that,” she answered smugly.

“We sent a gift,” Jimin smirked at him. “Duh.”

“Like the night you made friends with the bachelorette and we ended up on a party bus to Las Vegas?” Laney threw her head back in giggles.

“How can 24-hours of free champagne be a bad thing?” MinYeon asked as they all laughed.

They went back and forth for an hour as MinYeon ate her food, listened, and laughed. She had finally began to relax with her old friends… until a voice cause the hair on the back of her neck to stand on end.

“Oh my God, did you guys plan a reunion and forget to tell me?” her broken English caused MinYeon to sit straight up and stare at Melissa.

“I didn’t invite her,” she whispered back.

The look on her face caused Jimin, TaeHyung, and YoonGi to immediately sit up straight.

“No one forgot,” Laney answered cooly. “You just weren’t invited.”

“Get… me… out… of… here…” MinYeon began to panic as she could barely breathe to get her words out. At that moment, her adrenaline turned on the flight mode—something that Libras are very good at. Avoiding confrontation is a way of life.

TaeHyung nodded to DaSol, who appeared immediately. “I’m sorry, we need to go,” she spoke.

YoonGi handed her his credit card to pay for the food before tuning to bow. “It was nice meeting you guys,” he spoke in English.

“This was fun,” TaeHyung did the same.

“What the fuck?” Emma quipped as she caught a glimpse of MinYeon.

“I’m sorry, guys. I promise, I’ll do better at calling more,” she waved, completely ignoring the newest arrival.

“You don’t IGNORE ME!” the Korean-American girl grabbed MinYeon by the hair and swung her back.

It was at that point when flight switched to fight. Jimin saw the look in her eyes and reached for her, wrapping her up in his arms so that she couldn’t hurt the girl and pulling her away as JeongGuk stepped between the women.

“Her bodyguards have to protect her?” Emma sneered at them. “How cute.”

“They’re protecting you from her,” Chang informed her.

“Yeah, well who fucking protected Jordan from her insane ass?”

“Emma, you need to leave now!” Kiko pushed her back.

“I will not! It’s time she grows the fuck up and realized that she ruined a man’s life!”

She calmed down and stared at her. “How did I manage to do that?”

“You abandoned him when he needed you the most!”

“He was stalking me! He’s still stalking me! I had to change my phone number, yet again, the beginning of August! That was the sixth time!”

“You have no idea what you’ve done!”

“Please. Tell me what you think I’ve done.”

“You killed him!”

They all quieted as they stared at her.

She reached into her purse and pulled out a folded envelope. “This was the note he left.”

She stared at her for a long moment before looking down and taking the envelope. She opened it to see it was addressed to ‘Mina’ and raised her eyebrows.

“That’s it, we’re out of here,” Jimin placed his arm around her and walked toward the door.

“Thank you!” JeongGuk waved as the group left.

The ride back to the hotel was quiet, even though the radio was on. MinYeon continued to stare at the folded envelope in her hands as the men took turns watching her. She went on auto-pilot, numb to her surroundings until she realized that she was back in Jimin’s hotel room.

“Baby.”

She looked up to see him holding a glass of water.

“Thank you,” she whispered.

There was a knock on the door, which he didn’t want to answer, but he did anyway. YoonGi pushed past him, laptop in-hand, ready.

“What’s his full name?” he sat at the desk.

“Jordan Ross Evans,” MinYeon answered.

“Birthday?”

“May 7, 1992.”

He typed in a few things and froze when an obituary came back. “Half Asian?” he tilted his head. None of what he said over the phone the previous month made sense.

“It’s true?” her eyes filled with tears as he read the best he could in English.

“Celebration of life service for Jordan Ross Evans, 26, of Los Angeles, will be held at 1:30 PM Saturday, August 22, 2018, at the West Los Angeles Buddhist Temple. Jordan was born on May 7, 1992, the son of Takako Ishigawa Evans Johnson, and passed away August 18th at his residence…”

She pushed away and dashed to the bathroom to throw up everything she had eaten for their meal.

“What was said the last time he called?” Jimin asked him.

“He asked to speak to her. He said he was her boyfriend. I laughed and said that was a lie, because I was. He said she’d never date a Chink and I corrected him. I told him to leave her alone, she never wanted to speak to him again. Then I hung up and told her to change her number again.”

He ran his fingers through his hair. “What could he possibly have to say in that note?”

“He was unstable, there’s no telling.”

They heard the toilet flush and the water run before MinYeon returned. She slid down the wall and squatted on the floor, staring at the floor with the letter crushed into her hand.

“I need to go speak to SeJin-nim,” Jimin sighed.

“I’ll stay here with her,” YoonGi nodded toward the door.

“Thanks, Hyung,” he dashed off.

The door closed, leaving the room quiet as YoonGi watched her closely.

“He wasn’t Buddhist,” she hissed.

“Apparently his mother is,” he shrugged his shoulders before letting out a deep breath. He then walked up and plopped down in front of her, looking into her eyes. “This is not your fault.”

“The first time I left him, he sliced his wrists,” she pulled her knees into her chest. “When he found out I was dating again, he overdosed on cocaine. I was always worried what he’d try to do to me, but for some reason was more worried what he’d do to himself.”

“Is Emma the only one who blames you?”

She shook her head. “His sister told me I was heartless. He needed help from me, not abandonment. His mother is the reason I changed my number before I left.”

“Do you need me to read it?”

“I will forever hear it in your voice,” she shook her head violently. “No.”

“Okay,” he kissed her forehead. He then arose and sat on the edge of the bed as he watched her.

She closed her eyes and swallowed hard before opening the envelope. Slowly, with shaky hands, she unfolded the hand-written letter and stared at the first words.

“My Gorgeous Mina…” she whispered. She stopped and rolled her eyes. It was definitely his handwriting.

_My Gorgeous Mina,_

_I saw a picture of you today. You were with your new friends, partying it up in your new life. You had a smile on your face, and you seemed truly happy._

_I see pictures of you often, with men I couldn’t hope to compete with. You honestly just abandoned me without a single thought of coming back._

_I am completely tired and exhausted. I’m tired of loving you without receiving an ounce of love in return. I’m exhausted from having to research your every whereabout, telephone number, addresses, and those of your family and friends. I’ve been to Seoul twice now to find you, but you always slip away. I even tried to roofie you and your harem of men came to the rescue. I just can’t take this anymore._

_I’m ready. I’m ready to die for you. I know it’s too late for us now. I know you’ve moved on. I owe my entire life to you and now you want to throw it away, so I will do it for you._

_She covered her mouth with her hand as tears fell from her eyes._

_These aren’t just the words of a heartbroken man; they are coming from my heart. I wish you could understand the pain I go through seeing you with other men, whoring yourself out daily to a different one. If you were in LA, we could do this together, but you are not. I will be the big man and do this myself._

_I hope you finally realize the mistake you made, and it hurts you as much as you hurt me._

_Jordan_

“It’s over,” she breathed heavily. “It’s finally over,” she cried into her hands.

Jimin walked back inside and looked between the two. YoonGi nodded toward her and pointed to the note.

“She’s all yours,” he whispered before patting his shoulder and walking out the door.

Jimin immediately sat beside her and pulled her into his arms.

“It’s over,” her shoulders shook as she cried.

“You’re safe,” he whispered. “He will never bother you again.”

“I’m so sorry,” she hid her face into his neck.

“What do you have to be sorry about?”

“You don’t deserve this. This is so much to handle, and you need to focus…”

“Baby,” he kissed her hair. “I’m here. I love you. We’ll get through this together. I’m here for you.”

She looked up at him. “He was in Seoul. Twice.”

He raised his eyebrows.

“He’s the one who drugged me. It doesn’t make sense, but…” she held up the letter. “You saved me!” she sobbed.

“My Baby,” he kissed her forehead repeatedly. “I knew something was wrong that night. I’m so glad I found you.”

“He said… he wanted to do it together…”

“No,” he held her tightly. “I would never have let that happen.”

“Bit Hit has to know something. He said in his letter that every time he got close, I slipped away.”

“Aish,” he threw his head back.

“I’m a horrible person,” she whispered.

“No you aren’t,” he rubbed his hand up and down her back. “You are my favorite person in the world.”

“I feel so relieved that he’s gone,” she whispered. “There is something wrong with me.”

“No there is not,” he kissed her hair. “He was a threat to your safety and sanity. Now you can relax.”

“Now I can relax and just focus on crazy kpop fans,” she shook her head.

“It’ll never be easy. Life isn’t supposed to be easy. We are both strong, and I’m even stronger with you. We can do this.”

She finally pulled back and looked up at him.

“I’m the one wishing you weren’t going back home tomorrow, alone. You really shouldn’t be alone right now.”

“Classes just started. I won’t be.”

He pressed his forehead against hers. “I’m sorry you’re going through this. There are so many things about our past I’d change if I could, but we can only focus on this moment. And right now, I still have you for… fourteen more hours.”

“What will you do with me?” she asked, repeating his line before the typhoon lockdown a few weeks prior.

“I don’t suppose you brought your black bag of fun?”

“No.”

“That is disappointing,” he kissed her.

This is what they did. This is how they coped with being off balance. They ignored it and focused on what made them happy—and that was one another.

“Focus on me, Baby. I’m all you’ll ever need.”

She sighed before nodding her head.

#

MinYeon found a stopping place in her reading and threw her head back to the sofa. She began cursing the reasons she was in school, her boyfriend’s distance, her brother’s schedule, and every other reason why she was sitting in her apartment, alone, on a Friday night.

Events from her world whirled through her mind as her brain began spiraling.

Hyuna and E’Dawn went public about their relationship in August. Cube Entertainment cancelled her contract and she had been on the phone when her, supporting her eunnie for most of it.

Company scandals of abuse and sexual were rampant, causing her to reconsider her projected line of work.

And Jordan was dead.

Her thought pattern kept returning to that phrase every time she had a moment of peace. Her stalker, ex-boyfriend, and man who attempted to kill her was dead and he blamed her in his suicide note.

She wasn’t keeping it in, or at least not to her specifications. Jimin, YoonGi, TaeHyung, and JeongGuk knew, and when she returned from Los Angeles the previous day the first person she called to talk to was JiYong. The Leo that he was suggested that she piss on it and walk away, and the Libra she was wanted to reset and forget all about it. That damned eidetic brain of hers though…

As if the universe intervened on her behalf, her phone buzzed. She looked down to see that she had received a text from JiYong.

GoD: It’s time for a party. Grab your swim gear and come to Signiel Residence.

She burst into laughter before answering.

MinMandooo: I have so many questions.

She waited a moment as he answered.

GoD: SeungHyun and I have purchased time at the pool and we’re shipping in enough soju to fill it. Come see me, little sister.

MinMandooo: Who else will be there? 

GoD: Everyone who is as cool as we are.

GoD: ChaeLin will pick you up on her way.

MinMandooo: I’ll see you soon.

She immediately jumped up and gathered her things while texting ChaeLin.

MinMandooo: I have been ordered to wait for your arrival.

QueenCL: I’m on my way. Jessi is with me. Hannah is too busy.

“Oh my god,” she growled. “My friends are crazy.”

She immediately went to the bathroom to freshen up her makeup and braid her hair.

“We have arrived, you may now have fun,” ChaeLin announced to the applause of G-Dragon, T.O.P., Hwasa, Hyuna, Jackson, BamBam, JinYoung, WonHo, JooHeon, and Justin Park.

“Oppaaaaa!” MinYeon squealed as he picked her up into a huge hug, as WonHo’s mouth dropped open.

“Baby sister is here! Let the fun begin!”

“Why are you here?” she looked between him and T.O.P.

“We have the weekend off and decided to have some fun,” he shrugged his shoulders.

She grinned as she ran her fingers through his short, natural-colored hair. “Enlistment hasn’t changed you.”

“Never.”

Hwasa, walked up in her bikini while sipping of a cocktail. “MinYeon-ie!” she hugged her. “Get your ass in a bikini and join me!”

“KMY in da house!” BamBam yelled from the pool.

“I didn’t realize that KMY knew everyone I know,” JooHeon smirked as he turned to Jackson.

“Neither did I,” he glanced around the pool. “Her brother is Xiumin, though.”

“True,” he took a drink as WonHo followed.

The women returned in tight, sexy bikinis. MinYeon’s was white with peacock feathers embroidered across each cup. Jessi’s did nothing to hide her large, enhanced chest, and ChaeLin’s was studded with rhinestones that shown her flashy personality.

“Wow, you’ve got a new one,” T.O.P. pointed to the writing across her rib cage.

“I do,” she nodded. “They’re song lyrics that I like,” she pointed. “I’m not sure where they’re from.”

“Stupid, meaningless drivel,” G-Dragon goaded her.

“Always,” she snipped before taking a sip of soju.

As more and more people arrived, Jessi, ChaeLin, and MinYeon stepped into the pool with their drinks and relaxed while speaking to one another.

“Eunnie!” she immediately threw her arms around Hyuna and kissed her cheek. “Congratulations on your freedom!”

Everyone burst into laughter. Only Kim MinYeon would consider being fired from an entertainment agency to be freedom.

“Where’s your man? One would think you’d be together 24/7 after going public.”

“He dropped me off,” she sighed. “Secret Pentagon bullshit is afoot.”

“Ah,” she dropped her eyes to the water. She wondered if Big Hit would ever fire Jimin if they went public with their relationship.

“Are you the youngest one here?” Jessi goaded MinYeon as she looked around, a welcomed reprieve from the cyclone in her mind.

“No...” she glanced around. “BamBam is here.”

“I heard my name,” he ran through the water to the women. “Hello Noonas,” he bowed to them.

“Hello,” Hwasa joined them.

Before they knew it, Jackson, JinYoung, WonHo, and JooHeon had joined them.

“Hi,” MinYeon turned to WonHo.

“Hi,” he burst into a bright, vibrant grin. “How are you?”

“I’m much better to not be studying,” she laughed.

“Studying?”

“I’m working on my master’s degree in music composition,” she nodded.

“Woah.”

“Yeah, the new semester just started, so I need to get all of my projects and papers started so it doesn’t mess with my schedule.”

“So... you’re a student, you write and compose music, and you produce? How can you have time to be here?”

“I’m impulsive and have a low attention span,” she quipped as ChaeLin burst into laughter.

There was a commotion as they all looked up to see Sehun, Baekhyun, and DO.

“Oh great,” MinYeon whispered in English as WonHo watched her. “I need to go welcome my oppas,” she bowed before stepping out of the pool.

The women waited until she was far enough away so she wouldn’t hear them before Jessi turned to Hyuna.

“What is wrong with her?” she demanded in Korean.

“See? Have you ever been consoled by someone who seems more depressed than you?” Hyuna looked at Hwasa.

“She was not like this the last time I saw her,” Hwasa shook her head. “Of course, Bangtan, Seventeen, and NCT are all on tour…”

“All of her man candy is gone,” ChaeLin sighed as she noticed that all of the men around her were listening to them. “Nosy asses!” she hissed.

“What is ‘man candy’ and how do I become one?” Jackson asked playfully.

“The thing about candy is that it’s so versatile,” Jessi teased him.

“You can suck or nibble, swallow or spit it into trash,” Hyuna purred.

“And too much tends to make your tongue sore,” ChaeLin added as all of the women burst into cackles.

“Wow. My innocent mind has been educated!” JinYoung laughed as WonHo grabbed onto JooHeon while laughing.

“My fragile ears cannot unhear that,” BamBam shook his head. “My Noona is an innocent flower!”

“Baby girl is many things,” Jessi glanced over her shoulder at her, “but innocent, she is not.”

“Oppas,” MinYeon went to work and poured glasses for the three EXO members who had joined them.

“What are you doing here, Yeon-ah?” KyungSoo watched her.

“I’m doing exactly what you’re doing,” she smiled at him.

“Then you need to leave right now!” BaekHyun grinned as he pointed to the door.

“My presence was commanded by The King,” she looked over at JiYong and nodded.

“Ah. He outranks us,” SeHun smirked. “I’ll just keep notes and tattle to the Emperor.”

“Ugh. We had an argument the last time I spoke to him. Please don’t go there.”

“They say that if you drop a dirty sock onto the floor and turn around three times, he’ll appear…” KyungSoo finally relaxed as they all burst into laughter.

“I have never tried that, but it sounds completely legit,” she giggled at him.

Another group consisting of both American and Korean men were the last to join as MinYeon was getting a refill.

“Hi,” a blue-eyed man spoke to her.

“Anneyonghaseyo,” she nodded to him, pretending not to speak English so he would lose interest and go away.

“Wow... you are amazingly beautiful.”

She raised her eyebrows and glanced at JiYong before answering. “Do I know you?” she asked in perfect English.

“Wow! Your English is great! Do you mind if I hang out with you?”

“She’s my little sister, you can talk to me,” DO stepped between them.

“And mine,” Baekhyun joined them.

“And mine,” Sehun spoke up.

“And mine,” G-Dragon stood from his lounge chair. “Is everything all right, Yeon-ah?”

“It’s perfect now,” she laughed.

“You are so spoiled,” ChaeLin shook her head before pushing MinYeon into the pool.

She surfaced squealing as she opened her eyes. “Eunnie’s about to get her ass kicked!” Everyone around her was in laughter as she jumped up and grabbed ChaeLin’s hand, pulling her in as well.

Jessi screamed as G-Dragon lifted her up and threw her into the water.

“Now this is a party!” JooHeon pushed WonHo under the water.

A water fight ensued, erupting the posh pool into a fountain of splashes, screams, and yells. As it died down, MinYeon found herself sitting on the stairs with Hwasa and WonHo, exchanging stories about playing in the ocean, surfing, and near-death experiences.

“Let’s play couple’s volleyball!”

They looked up to see T.O.P. pulling a net across the pool as the others coupled off.

“I’ll take the cute little one!” a friend of JiYong’s from the military pointed at MinYeon.

“I don’t think so,” WonHo slid his hand around her waist and rested it over her belly, the metal of the ring she wore in her navel piercing resting behind his middle finger as Hwasa’s eyes widened and she walked off to give them privacy.

“My bad...” he raised his hands and turned elsewhere.

She turned her head and looked up at him as his hand remained on her.

“I’m sorry...”

“It’s fine,” she whispered. “It was just... very unlike you. Your manners are impeccable.”

“I can back off if you want me to,” he spoke lowly, his chest rumbling against her back.

She read his eyes for a moment before answering. “No.”

“You know, if we’re going to be volleyball partners, I think we should be able to speak to one another informally.”

“We can be friends,” she answered, “but if you don’t get your hands off of me, you’re going to have a black eye for your next photo shoot,” she nodded toward the three sets of EXO eyes boring a hole through him.

“Sorry, sorry,” he pulled away.

She laughed lowly, an evil grin on her face as she walked toward the net.

“So this is what Squishy is like without her attack Jimin nearby,” Hwasa purred.

“If you can’t be with the one you love, honey, love the one you’re with,” she winked at her as she burst into a cackle.

He tilted his head and sighed, pushing off the chill that crawled down his spine.

“I am only 5’3” you know,” she treaded water in the middle of the pool as the men laughed at her.

She giggled as the others began to follow, lifting the tiny women up into the air and taking their places.

“I need to touch your thighs to keep you steady,” WonHo asked her.

“I know how to play the game. You’re fine,” she looked up to see ChaeLin doing body rolls against JiYong’s neck as he held tightly to her thighs. She sighed and pursed her lips. This was going to be a much wilder party than she anticipated.

They didn’t get far into the game before it turned into a game of chicken that was aggressive enough for a few of the ladies to lose their tops.

“I think I’m done,” she hopped off of WonHo’s shoulders.

“Are you okay?” He reached for her hand.

“Yeah… but no one’s guarding the liquor. What if it walks away?” She teased him before stepping out of the pool.

“What’s wrong, Min-ah?” JiYong asked as he opened a bottle of wine.

“Not a thing,” she smiled. “It’s a great party.”

“Why aren’t you enjoying yourself?”

“I am, I promise. I just won’t be a part of the drunk girls losing their swimsuits. I’ve worked very hard to get the producers and directors in Seoul to take me seriously and if one photo slips with me on the back of an idol half naked...”

“Ah... I see. I’m sorry. I wanted you to have more fun…”

“I’m good,” she reassured him. “I promise.”

“Have you ever told someone when you’re not good?” he tilted his head and waited.

“Once. He drove all over UN Village to find me.”

He smiled at her. “Too bad he’s touring right now. You need him.”

“He will be home next month,” she sighed. “Go have fun. I will drink,” she pushed him away.

“Yes,” he smirked before jumping back into the pool.

“They’re ready!”

She turned to find T.O.P. and Baekhyun toss an entire bin full of glow sticks into the pool just before the lights went out.

“Now that’s a party,” MinYeon giggled before tipping back her head. She reached for the amplifier controls and turned it up as the dimly lit bodies became one writhing mass. She sighed as she thought about her boyfriend and what he was doing at that moment half a world away in Fort Worth, Texas.

She then scanned the mass of bodies, wondering where WonHo fit in that mess. Had he moved on to another woman? Was he enjoying himself? Was he thinking of her at all?

She scolded herself mentally as she realized that she was shivering and pulled her knees up into her chest for warmth. She looked out the window at the night sky for a moment before turning to find a neatly folded white hoodie being held in front of her. She followed the arm of its owner up to WonHo.

“I’m not dry yet,” she pushed his hand away.

“It’s okay. You’re cold. Wear it.”

She looked away as her cheeks burned. Thank goodness the lights were out. “Thank you.”

He nodded before walking back toward his bag. He sat down in a chair next to it and dried himself off. She took a moment to study the outline of his thick, well-developed muscles in the glowing light coming from the pool. She closed her eyes and sighed before throwing the hoodie over her head.

WonHo lay back in the lounge chair and sighed as he ran his fingers through his hair. He cursed himself mentally for having the thoughts that were running through his mind, and the fact that he couldn’t keep his eyes off of the beautiful songwriter. “Damn it,” he sighed before downing the rest of his drink.

She glanced at her phone to see that it was 11:30 in the morning where Jimin was and sent off a text.

MinMandooo: I miss you.

He answered quicker than she thought he would.

Lucky13: I miss you too, Bbang-tteok-ie.

MinMandooo: Fuck school. I’ll meet you in Europe.

Lucky13: You are busy, it will pass quickly.

She rolled her eyes and sat back in her chair as her eyes landed on WonHo. They stared at one another for a long moment before she looked back down at her phone.

Lucky13: Are you in your studio?

MinMandooo: No. I’m out with friends. Studying was melting my brain. It was unbearable.

Lucky13: Don’t have too much fun. I’m not there to hold your hair back while you vomit.

MinMandooo: I tend to vomit a lot. You’ll get your chance.

Lucky13: Know your limit, Jagi.

MinMandooo: Yes, ssangdungi.

She smiled as she looked up from her phone to see that ChaeLin and JiYong were making out against the side of the pool. Other people in the pool had begun to take it to the lounge chairs and a few were clearly having sex on the steps.

WonHo appeared with a t-shirt and shorts on and held his hand out for her. “C’mon, let’s go eat.”

She nodded, took his hand, and followed him out of the pool and through the lobby. They walked out to the street and were on their way before they realized they were holding hands.

“Sorry,” he pulled away.

She shoved her hands into the front pocket of the hoodie she was wearing and nodded her head. “It was getting crazy in there. The last party I went to in LA wasn’t that crazy. Then again, I was four years younger and he probably sent me home before it went there.”

They both laughed together.

“So how long have you known BigBang?”

“Since 2014,” she nodded. “I’m closer with them than the other three,” she nodded toward the hotel. “I know them all, though. I’ve sparred with TaeYang-oppa.”

“What about your brother’s members?”

She felt so comfortable with him that she told him the truth, or at least that was what sounded good after all of the alcohol she had consumed. “I dated Chanyeol for a month or so after I moved to Seoul, but I’m closest with Sehun-ie and Kyungsoo-ya-oppas.”

“Why did you stop dating?”

“My brother asked me to,” she smirked.

“Ah,” he nodded his head. It was time to change the subject. “We finished your song. It’s being mixed as we speak. It will be the eighth track on the album.”

“Wow,” she grinned. “I can’t wait to hear what you did with it.”

“I think we’re going to use it on a few shows.”

“Ahh,” she clapped her hands together. “Daebak.”

“There’s talk about working with American artists and singing songs in English. We might be working together again someday.”

“I’d like that. JooHeon, IM, and Kihyun were very fun to work with. It’s not really work when you have fun doing it.”

“I agree.”

She found herself staring more and more at his full, thick lips as he spoke to her. Her mind seemed fixated with those lips, and his shoulders, and his chest, and his ass, and his thighs… She let out a breath and took a long drink. Coping mechanisms are weird.

“Are you okay?” He watched her.

“Too much to drink,” she lied while fanning herself.

“Ah,” he looked away. It wasn’t a good idea to hit on a woman who was highly intoxicated. After all, she had only flirted with him so far. That really meant nothing in the grand scheme of things… did it? “What are things you like to do besides music?”

“I’m a 3rd Dan black belt in TaeKwonDo. I’m deciding which Dojang I’d like to join so I can get involved again.”

“That is awesome,” he laughed. “I love martial arts.”

“And lifting, apparently,” her eyes fell to his thick arms.

He licked his bottom lip, suddenly happy that she had taken an interest in his body. “I try to lift every day. I don’t usually eat stuff like this,” he pointed to the restaurant, “but it sounded good tonight.”

“Fried food belongs with alcohol. They’re best friends,” she grinned while brushing her fingertips over the back of his hand.

“True,” he flipped his hand over and took hers.

She sucked her bottom lip into her mouth before looking out at the street. This was happening. She and Jimin agreed to have an open relationship, to be seen with other people to keep suspicion off of them. She didn’t actually expect to want to do it, though—coping mechanisms.

Their number was called, and he popped up to get it. He returned with spicy fried chicken and pickled radish, handing her a set of chopsticks and a napkin.

“Thank you,” she hummed as her phone began to ring from her pocket. She glanced at the ID and smiled before answering. “Yeobosayo? Ne. Ne. Ne. Ne, ne, ne. I’m down the street, eating chicken. No, I wasn’t kidnapped or murdered. You won’t find my body in a supply closet or elevator shaft. You’re talking to me right now, Oppa. I’m fine,” she giggled. “Ani!” She giggled. “Wow, you are… wasted. It’s fun. You’ve moved to a room? Which one? Which floor? Kyungsoo-iya… do you remember that I have an eidetic memory? Yes. So does Xiumin, yes. Yes, he is my brother,” she covered her mouth with her hand and looked at WonHo as she laughed silently.

WonHo threw his head back in laughter as he listened to her end of the conversation.

“Can you please put Sehun-ie on the phone? I’m sorry, Sehun-ie-oppa. Yes, I will remember to use my manners. Thank you,” she pressed her lips together to keep from laughing out loud. “Ne. Please take care of him, he’s not going to remember anything tomorrow. Are you sure about that?” She rolled her eyes around. “If you call Oppa to come get you, he will want me to come home. Do you really want me to stop having fun tonight because… ne. Thank you. If he throws up I will clean it. Ne. You will have to find me first,” she giggled. “Okay. Thank you. I love you too,” she giggled before ending the call.

“Wow. Who knew the EXOs were such partiers?” WonHo laughed.

“They aren’t,” she grinned. “They usually stick to the dorm and drink. Channie’s the only one who goes to the club… well, sometimes JongIn,” she shook her head.

“It’s cute that they checked on you.”

“Yes… cute,” she smirked. “All of the time.”

“You’re the EXO Princess, right? They are obliged.”

“How did that begin, exactly?” She cringed.

“Where did I hear that…” he rolled his eyes around in thought. “I think JooHeon-ie said it after speaking to Bangtan’s NamJoon-ie.”

“Ah,” she smirked. “That makes sense.”

“Are you close?”

“I’m friends with most of Bangtan. I am close with Jimin-ie and TaeHyung-ie, though. We’re 95-Liners.”

“There you go,” he grinned at her.

She popped open her chopsticks and took a bite. “Mmm. Great idea.”

“I have them occasionally,” he widened his eyes for emphasis.

They ate their chicken and threw away their trash before heading back toward the hotel.

“Thank you for the distraction,” she smiled as they walked.

“Of course,” he nodded. “It was getting a little crazy in there earlier.”

“According to my oppas, the pool is now quiet,” she purred. “And so is the hot tub.”

“That sounds like fun,” he glanced down at her.

She looked up and met his eyes with a smile before leaning into him as they walked.

“I don’t think you’re as drunk as you let on,” he spoke lowly.

“That’s silly, if I weren’t drunk that would mean I’ve been flirting with you the entire night,” she quipped.

“Don’t think I haven’t noticed,” he grinned. “I’ve really enjoyed it.”

“Have you?”

“Of course,” he smirked at her. “I’ve wanted your attention since the day we met,” he placed his hand on the small of her back and escorted her through the doors of the hotel.

“You definitely have that,” she spoke lowly.

They quieted as they walked through the doors to the pool and looked around.

“They really did just get up and adjourn to another location,” she laughed.

“You get drinks. I’ll get glow sticks. I’ll meet you at the hot tub,” he nodded toward the deck.

“Okay,” she chirped before walking off. She pulled his hoodie over her head and tossed it onto her chair, her hips swinging seductively with every step.

He cleared his throat and stretched his neck before taking off his shirt and diving into the pool. She grabbed two cups and a bottle of soju and met him at the hot tub as he dropped the glow sticks in.

She stepped down into the hot water and turned to pour two cups as he stepped down and sat beside her. She turned and handed him a cup with a smile on her face.

“Gonbae,” they spoke before taking a drink.

They returned their empty cups to the edge and sat back, looking out at the night sky through the glass ceiling. The glow of the light sticks reflected off their bodies as they suddenly became fully aware of one another. Their flirting and touchiness had brought them to this point, so what were they going to do about it?

“Just so you know…” she rolled her eyes around for a moment, “I’m not a typical Korean girl.”

He burst out laughing as he slipped his arm out of the water and rested it across the edge of the hot tub. “That thought really didn’t cross my mind.”

“I just felt the need to disclose that,” she smirked. “I tend to intimidate people.”

“Which people?”

“My peers. They seem to think that I think I’m too good for them… when they actually just haven’t taken the time to get to know me. They make assumptions instead of asking. They’re a bit harsh and judgmental.”

“Why would anyone judge you?”

“Have you seen the comments I get on Insta and YouTube?” She laughed. “Every idol I have on my show is accused of fucking me. I’m a complete whore, apparently.”

“Fuck them all, who cares?” He smiled at her as she burst out laughing. “It’s nobody’s business.”

“They think it is.”

“You know it’s not. Our line of work isn’t exactly conducive to dating. Sometimes you have to take a small bit of happiness when you can get it.”

“You’re equating sex to happiness?”

“It doesn’t make you happy?”

“Oh, it makes me ecstatic,” she giggled. “It’s more of a coping mechanism for my crazy brain. If I’m focused on music or sex, I’m not drowning in memories that constantly loop. Having a calm, blank brain really makes me happy.”

He licked his bottom lip as he looked into her eyes. “Then let me make you happy.”

She calmed down and smiled at him before reaching in to press her lips against his.

He pulled away and looked into her eyes. “You are… maddening, do you know that?”

“I’m…” she stuttered.

“You drive me absolutely insane.”

“Is that a compliment?” she stared at his lips as he pressed closer against her.

“You have no idea what you do to me, do you? Your big, brown eyes and your long hair… your amazing curves and the way you move your body. It’s enough to make a man go completely insane, and you have no idea you’re doing it.”

“Hoseok-ie…” she whispered his given name.

He smiled before brushing his lips against hers again. He then grabbed her hips and pulled her around to straddle his lap as they took turns exploring one another’s mouth. She slid her hands across the back of his muscular shoulders, wrapping her arms around him before pulling away to catch her breath.

“Are you flush from the heat or me?” He goaded her.

“Both,” she smiled. “I need to cool off,” she pulled away and rose to her feet, stepping out of the hot tub and wrapping a towel around her. He was behind her in an instant, leading her to his chair before sitting down and looking up at her.

She dropped her towel and crawled between his legs before leaning down to kiss him again. He brought his hands up her sides, around her back, and pulled her closer.

“Do you have…” she murmured against his lips.

“Ne,” he reached for his bag.

She smiled as she continued kissing him. “That makes me happy.”

“Me too,” he retrieved a condom.

She ran her tongue across his as he opened the wrapper and rolled on the condom with expert precision. She then pulled her bikini bottom to the side and sat in his lap as he reached between them positioned himself.

“Ah,” she breathed out as she pushed herself down on him, his size taking her by surprise. “Oh,” she whimpered.

He growled lowly as he arched his back, pushing into her. She began to roll her hips against his as his body jolted from the feeling. How in the world could one woman feel this good?

“Oh my God,” she cried. She had never before been so close to coming so soon. First time sex was usually awkward and sloppy, but not this. Not even after copious amounts of alcohol was there a problem. He was rock-hard and huge by comparison. Jimin wasn’t a small guy either, but damn.

“You’re so tight,” he whispered.

“Fuck,” she clamped her eyes shut as she rode him, the chair shaking beneath them. They exploded together; their bodies wrapped around one another as they grasped for anything they could get a hold of. She smiled as she rested her forehead against his. “That was a truckload of happiness.”

“My job is done,” he laughed.

She sighed as she looked into his eyes. “I have to get back, my eunnies will hunt me down soon.”

“I know,” he kissed her. “I need to find JooHeon-ie too.”

“Okay,” she kissed him one last time before pulling away and walking off to grab her things.

They went to the suite as instructed by SeHun and entered the code for the door.

MinYeon found the bed full of women and jumped onto Jessi and Hwasa, giggling at them.

“Sleep, baby girl. The room is spinning,” Jessi mumbled.

She snugged in between her friends and fell asleep.

WonHo found JooHeon asleep between two women and smirked before finding a sofa to crash on and doing the same.

#

The next day, MinYeon went home, showered, and checked her messages. She saw that she had one from Jimin and bit her lip before reading it.

Lucky13: Did you make it home?

She rolled her eyes and sighed before answering.

MinMandooo: No puking involved. Yes, I’m home.

Lucky13: Did you have fun?

MinMandooo: Of course.

Lucky13: Good. How many guys hit on you?

MinMandooo: I was well-guarded by EXO and BigBang oppas.

Lucky13: And you still had a good time?

MinMandooo: Amazingly, yes.

Lucky13: Okay.

She didn’t know why she didn’t just come out and tell him. They had an open relationship. Of course, that didn’t mean that the other had to know about every minute detail.

MinMandooo: I’m heading to class. Goodnight. I love you.

Lucky13: I love you too, Baby. Have a good day.

#

The warmth of his body close to hers… The feel of skin on skin… His lips pressed against hers with her legs wrapped around him… His breath, his scent, his heat, intoxicating her senses…

Her body tightening, and his name escaping her lips as she exploded in bliss… His face tucked against her neck as he experienced his release… Their fingers weaving together until he collapsed beside her…

MinYeon opened her eyes and looked up into the room before sitting up and looking around. She was alone. Of course she was alone, her boyfriend was in Canada.

She checked her phone to see that it was about 8:30 PM for him and read over a few texts he had sent while she was asleep.

Lucky13: We’re staying at a nice house and shooting a few BTS Run episodes.

Lucky13: It was cold, so we bought some new jackets.

Lucky13: Yoongi-hyung wants your spaghetti sauce recipe.

She smiled before answering his texts.

MinMandooo: Take pictures. Stay warm. I’m taking the recipe to the grave. Good morning.

As she was about to set the phone down, it rang.

“Yeobosayo?”

“Cousin MinYeonnie, are you busy today?”

“JunHee-ya, I have to meet with my study group for a bit, but I should be free. Why?”

“I have an appointment and Eomma’s dancing group rescheduled for today. Can you watch the girls?”

“Um... I think I can. Yes.”

“Great, I’ll drop them off in about an hour. Thank you Yeonnie!!!”

She smiled before jumping up to get ready.

“Oh my gosh, they are so cute!” SeoYeun dropped her bag and sat beside MinYeon. “How old are they?”

“MyungHee is four and SangHee is nearly six.”

“You are very well behaved,” DaEun spoke to them from across the table.

“Cousin-nim will buy us something delicious if we keep quiet,” SangHee informed them as her sister nodded her head enthusiastically.

“Your Cousin-nim is a very smart caregiver,” MinJae laughed as he booted up his computer.

As the meeting began to die down and everyone broke up into conversation, MinYeon’s phone rang. The number caused a memory of the hot tub before she let out a deep breath and answered. “Yeobosayo?”

“MinYeon-ie,” she could hear his smile over the phone. “I have an idea for a song. We are so busy with comeback preparations and Chuseok is beginning, I was wondering if you could take a look and make suggestions.”

“I am free to take a look today, but I will have my cousins with me. We’ll be leaving for Sweets Planet here in a few minutes.”

“Are you babysitting?”

“Yes. They are four and six.”

“I have no problems with kids. I just need to be able to post on Fan Cafe today. It’s my turn.”

“I have awesome wifi. I’ll text you my address. I’ll let you know when we’re headed there.”

“Thank you!”

She closed her eyes for a moment and was immediately taken back to the way he touched her. “Okay,” she whispered lowly. “I can do this,” she pep-talked herself. “Are you girls ready to go?”

“Yes!”

WonHo waited at the elevator in her parking garage as instructed. As she pulled up in her brother’s car, he bit down on his bottom lip. She helped the girls out while speaking lightly to them. They in turn ran up to WonHo and bowed. “Annyeongaseyo.”

He grinned brightly as he returned their hello.

“His face is like Cousin MinSeokkie,” MyungHee turned back to MinYeon.

“Wh...” he touched his face. “The makeup?”

“Yes,” she nodded. “You have makeup on your eyes.”

“I do,” he chuckled. “I had pictures taken of me today.”

“I like to take selcas too,” SangHee informed him as they stepped onto the elevator.

MinYeon threw her hand over her mouth to keep from laughing as WonHo turned to her. “Not a word.”

“You do take a lot of selfies,” she whispered.

He threw his head back dramatically. “It’s all for Monbebe,” he complained.

“When is the last time you left your dorm without makeup on?” she teased him.

“What about you?” he tossed back at her.

“This isn’t about me,” she laughed.

“Really?” he shook his head, letting out a disappointed sigh.

“You smell like flowers,” SangHee looked up at him.

“Ahh... my cologne is made from flowers,” he smiled at her. “You are very smart.”

“Cousin MinYeonnie likes peaches,” MyungHee informed him.

“That’s good to know,” he chuckled.

They stepped off and walked toward the apartment. MinYeon couldn’t help but notice how happy she was to be laughing and talking while making the trip. When she was with a Bangtan or EXO, and they never spoke for fear of someone seeing or hearing them and leaking a secret.

She opened the door and let them in as they all removed their shoes and walked to the kitchen.

“Now remember what I told you?” MinYeon placed the bag onto the table.

“We need to eat quietly while Cousin works,” SangHee recited.

“MyungHee-ya?” she looked at the little girl.

“I will chew quietly,” she nodded.

She kissed each of their cheeks before walking to the sofa and waiting to see what WonHo had brought her.

“They’re so cute, I can’t stand it!”

“They’re holding it together better than I thought they would. My cousin’s a huge Monbebe and they’ve watched all of your videos.”

“What?” he laughed before glancing over at them. “I should have brought gifts.”

“No,” she waved her hands. “You’re fine.”

They quieted as he looked her over. “You look very pretty today. Pink is a good color on you.”

“Thank you,” she blushed and looked away for a moment. “I like the darker hair,” she pointed to his hair. “It brings out your eyes.”

He raised his eyebrows, surprised that she had been looking at him at all. “Thank you,” he breathed out a laugh, both embarrassed and happy.

“So… you had an idea? Are they lyrics or music or both?”

“I have lyrics that I can envision a tune to.”

“Perfect,” she clapped her hands together. “Do you play guitar or piano?”

“Both.”

She raised her eyebrows in surprise. “Which do you prefer? And can you play by ear?”

“Piano. I think so,” he nodded.

She led him to her studio and immediately began to turn on her equipment as he looked around. He stopped at a framed photo of Jimin and MinYeon wearing headphones while working together on his song. He then noticed the minions.

“You like ‘Despicable Me’ I take it?”

“Minion,” she pointed to a plushie. “MinYeon,” she pointed to herself.

He threw his head back in laughter as she rolled her eyes and continued. “My boyfriend hid them in random places to find while he’s away. He’s been gone three weeks and I found another one this morning in the oven.”

“That’s the first time you’ve mentioned him.”

She watched him for a moment. “You knew?”

“I suspected. Everyone thinks you’re dating at least one member of the 95-Liners.”

“Yeah… Men and women can’t be friends in Korea,” she huffed.

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“It wouldn’t be a secret if I told everyone, would it?”

“So you trust me? I’m honored.”

“We are friends too,” she watched him. “Aren’t we?”

“Of course,” he smiled before taking a seat next to her. “What will he do if he finds out about us?”

“Why? Do you intend to make me happy… again?”

“I’d like to know if the woman I’m fucking is using me for more than just… happiness.”

“Please refer to my two vices. You have now engaged me in both of my coping mechanisms,” She purred. “He’ll be fine.”

“Oh,” his eyes widened. “It’s that type of arrangement.”

“It is,” she logged into her computer.

He watched her closely as she moved her fingers quickly against the keys, logging into her programs and entering multiple passwords.

They began working on a song until they had a melody recorded.

Her phone rang as they pushed away from the keyboard. She read the ID and looked up at him. “Oh my gosh, this is a Director for an OST I’ve been trying to get. I have no idea how long this will take.”

“Go ahead. I’ll check on the girls,” he nodded.

“Thank you,” she bowed before taking the call.

He smiled at her before walking out to check on the girls.

“You two have been very quiet...” he looked around but didn’t see them. “MyungHee-ya? SangHee-ya?” he called for them.

He peeked into MinYeon’s bedroom and glanced around as her fluffy, peach duvet caught his attention. He mentally scolded himself for the thoughts running through his mind until he realized that Jimin had intimate knowledge of that bed and that duvet.

“Damn it,” he sighed as he glanced at another framed photo on her nightstand. This one was of her brother, parents, Jimin, his family, and herself after the BTS in Seoul. He realized that their families knew about their relationship and apparently approved. “Too bad,” he whispered as he heard a sound from the bathroom.

Peeking in, he found the girls playing in MinYeon’s makeup as his eyes widened. “What are you doing?”

“Our makeup,” MyungHee answered.

“I see that,” he looked around to find various moisturizers, skin serum, and cleansing water all scented peach. “You weren’t kidding,” he whispered to himself.

“Do you want me to make your eyes look better?” SangHee asked him.

“Are they not good enough?” he smirked.

“I will make them better,” she took his hand and led him to the sofa.

It was nearly thirty minutes later when MinYeon stepped out of her office. She walked to the sofa where she heard whispering and giggles. She arrived to see WonHo with pigtails and bright pink eyes. She threw her hand over her mouth and burst into laughter.

“Cousin-nim! It’s your turn!” MyungHee clapped her hands.

“Okay!” she sat next to WonHo and waited.

“Hoseok-ie samchon is very good at sitting still!” SangHee giggled.

“That’s why he’s the Idol,” she looked him over. “Oh my. You’re uncle now?”

“They like me,” he nodded confidently.

“I see that,” she pulled her phone out of her back pocket. “Do you still need to post?”

“Oh yeah,” he looked down at his phone and logged into their group chat room to speak to Monbebe.

“Close your eyes,” SungHee demanded as MinYeon pursed her lips to keep from laughing.

“Make me beautiful.” While her eyes were closed, she heard the girls bickering back and forth and the sound of texting from WonHo’s phone. She had nearly dozed off when she was told to open her eyes.

“Wow. You look amazing,” he was the first to speak.

“You look like a princess, Cousin MinYeon-ie!” MyungHee squealed.

“She does!” WonHo laughed.

“Picture time!” she pulled out her phone.

“This doesn’t get posted,” he spoke quickly.

“I won’t,” she grinned. “My cousin will love it though.”

He dropped his shoulders. “Anything for Monbebe.”

They posed for picture after picture until MinYeon returned with the peach cleansing water and gauze pads.

WonHo walked into the dorm a few hours later and met JoonHeon and MinHyuk in the hall. They both stopped and stared at him for a minute.

“Is that... glitter in your hair?” MinHyuk asked.

“Why do you smell like peaches?” JooHeon sniffed at him.

“I worked with KMY this afternoon and her little cousins gave me a makeover,” he explained.

“Wait, isn’t her studio at her flat?” JooHeon eyed him.

“Yes.”

“How? Why?” MinHyuk stuttered.

“We’re friends,” he smiled before walking off.

It was about that time that WonHo received a text. He opened it to see the photo of him and the girls. He turned it around to show them.

“See? I helped babysit,” he grinned.

“Aish,” Minhyuk pushed him. “Lucky.”

He walked away as JooHeon turned to him. “Hyung…”

“Hmmm?” he looked up from his phone.

“Is she really dating another idol?”

The happiness drained from his face as he nodded his head.

“Are you sure you want to keep pursuing a girl who’s taken?”

“She’s my friend,” he answered sternly. “I would love for it to be more, but that’s a decision she has to make.”

He sighed before patting him on the back and walking away.

#

“Appa, MinSeok-ie, SeokJun-ie-samcheon, and my cousins performed charye,” MinYeon sat on her bed in her parents’ home and spoke over video chat to Jimin. “I helped Obahan and Halmeoni make songpyeon and then we left for seongmyo.”

“You sound tired, Baby.”

“My stomach hasn’t been doing so great since I got home from LA.”

“You’re with your grandmas, during the biggest eating event in the Korean calendar, and can’t enjoy it? That’s horrible!”

“Right,” she laughed at him. “We’re teaching MyungHee-ya and SangHee-ya ganggangsulle tonight, it will be too much fun not to feel well.”

“Awwww… I want video. Seeing you teach your little cousins to dance will be really adorable.”

“I’ll make sure someone catches it,” she smiled.

“Are you okay?”

“We went out for NaYeon’s birthday last night, I’m just tired. I might have to take a nap if I’m going to stay up for dalmaji.”

“I’m sure feeling ill doesn’t help,” he ran his fingers through his hair. “Who is taking care of you?”

“I’m fine, ssangdungi.”

“You don’t look fine.”

“I have eaten enough rice cakes to sustain a small village. I promise.”

He still looked worried. “I hate being so far away when you’re dealing with this.”

“It’s dealt with and over.”

“Maybe you can convince everyone else of that, but you can’t lie to me.”

She looked away for a moment before changing the subject. “Obahan asked what Yuta was doing during a Korean holiday and wants to meet him. Oppa’s going to pick him up tomorrow. He was just going to stay at the dorm anyway.”

“I think that’s a good idea. That actually makes me happy.”

“I’m happy that you’re happy,” she giggled at him.

“Okay,” he glanced over his shoulder.

“Haengboghan chuseog!” TaeHyung and JeongGuk appeared behind Jimin in the dining room of the house they were staying in while in Ontario, Canada.

“Haengboghan chuseog!” she waved back at them.

“We need to get to sound check,” Hoseok called out.

“Okay, I need to go to work,” he looked back down at her. “I’ll send selcas and videos from tonight.”

“As will I.”

“Love you, Baby.”

“Love you,” she nodded before ending the chat.

MinYeon had helped her cousins EunJae and JunHee clean up after dinner and then they sat down for a game of Uno with their brothers. They were into the second round when her phone buzzed.

TheOtherHoseok: I hope you had a happy Thanksgiving.

She glanced at it and played a card before answering.

MinMandooo: To you as well. I’m playing Uno with my brother and cousins and eating spicy cucumber salad.

TheOtherHoseok: I miss cucumbers.

She threw her hand over her mouth as she burst into laughter.

“Is your boyfriend texting you?” her mother asked.

“No, it’s a friend,” she played a card before asking.

MinMandooo: Why do you miss cucumbers?

TheOtherHoseok: MinHyukkie has a phobia. We can’t even have one in the house.

She again laughed before playing another card.

MinMandooo: I’ll be home Monday. I’ll bring some home.

TheOtherHoseok: You are now my best friend.

She looked up to see her family staring at her.

“Who is that?” her mother asked.

“Lee Hoseok, WonHo. He’s a member of Monsta X. We are close friends.”

“You worked with them, right?” MinSeok asked.

“I wrote the lyrics for a song that made the new album. I helped them arrange the music, too.”

“Look at you,” her father doted on her. “You really are accomplishing this by yourself.”

She nodded before looking away. Her father’s approval of her career choice was an extremely emotional moment.

“When will Ji… your boyfriend be home?” Mommy Kim changed the subject.

“34 days,” she sighed.

“Where is he now?”

“New York. They spoke at the United Nations today, did you see it?”

“It was a very proud moment for Korea,” MinSeok looked around the table.

“How do you manage to see one another?” her father asked.

“We... make it work. It’s hard, but...” she shrugged her shoulders. “I love him. Our relationship works.”

MinSeok watched his sister for a moment, a perplexed look in his eye before shaking it off and returning to the game.

“Just to be clear…” EunJae giggled.

“You’re dating an idol?” YongJae asked her.

“Yes,” she nodded. “And that is all that will be said.”

“Okay,” they all agreed.

#

“Watch your fingers,” MinYeon instructed MyungHee as she taught her how to grate sweet potato.

“Like this?”

“Yes,” she smiled at her as they sat in a squat in the kitchen.

“Good job, MyungHee,” MinYeon’s grandmother gushed over her granddaughter. “MinYeon-ie is a very good teacher.”

“It helps to learn from the best,” she replied in Japanese.

“I don’t know what you said,” MyungHee frowned. “I don’t speak Japanese.”

“I can teach you, if you like.”

“My brain is too small, cousin,” she complained.

“No, no, no,” she pulled her in for a hug. “You can learn anything in the world, as much as you like. You can never stop learning. Your brain is bigger than the universe, little cousin,” she kissed her cheek.

Her grandmother grinned at her before looking out toward the front. “Wow, Min-ah… he’s so handsome!”

She laughed at her grandmother. “He’s single, Obahan. I could always put in a good word for you.”

“Can you have two boyfriends? I like them both.”

“You haven’t even met Yuta-chan yet.”

“I wouldn’t mind if he just sat in a chair and smiled at me all day.”

She burst into laughter as MinSeok opened the front door.

“We must greet our guest,” MinYeon switched back to Korean for MyungHee. “Let’s wash our hands.”

She walked into the parlor to hear introductions being made but stopped dead in her tracks when she saw that Yuta was wearing a bright yellow Minion hoodie.

“Nande-yanen!” she stepped back and crossed her arms as the speakers of Osaka ben burst into laughter.

“You don’t like my shirt?” he feigned offense as he grinned at her. “My favorite color is yellow and I wore it just for you.”

She rolled her eyes as he hugged her.

“I will get you back,” she growled lowly.

“I look forward to it,” he laughed.

“Nakamoto Yuta, please meet my grandmother TaeShik-san,” she introduced them.

“It’s an honor,” he spoke in Osaka ben as she giggled.

“I’m so happy to meet you!” she bowed to him. “It makes my heart happy to know that my Min-ah has a friend to share this part of our culture with.”

“It makes me very happy to do the same. When I’m with her, I feel like I’m home,” he nodded humbly.

“Aish,” she turned away and sighed. “Shut up.”

He scrunched his face playfully, knowing from experience that she was hiding from showing her emotions.

“We’re shredding Japanese sweet potato for okonomiyaki,” MyungHee told him.

“You’re making okonomiyaki for me?” he dropped down to squat to her level. “That is very nice, thank you.”

“MyungHee-ya, did you introduce yourself?” MinYeon asked her.

“MyungHee ibnida,” she bowed to him.

“Yuta ibnida,” he did the same.

“Cousin, how many boyfriends do you have?” she turned to MinYeon.

“Mwo?” her eyes widened as MinSeok burst into laughter.

Everyone watched and waited, wondering how MinYeon was going to handle the situation. They knew she had a boyfriend, but that was a deep secret. Yuta suddenly became quite interested in knowing the answer himself.

The little girl continued. “First there was Jimin-ie, then Hoseok-ie-samchon…”

“You have a very good memory, little cousin,” she grinned at her. “They are my friends.”

She frowned at her. “No…”

“It doesn’t matter,” Yuta turned to MyungHee. “I’m just MinYeon-ie’s boyfriend for today,” he offered as they again laughed.

“Oh,” she seemed to suddenly understand everything. “Who will her boyfriend be tomorrow?”

“Tomorrow’s another day,” MinSeok rolled his eyes.

“Come on, namja chingu, I’ll show you around,” MinYeon smirked at him.

“Yes, jagi,” he teased her.

After a tour of the house, they ended up in the back garden where she showed him the koi pond she and her brother created for her grandmother. They both sat and watched the fish swim around quietly, enjoying the nice fall weather.

She realized that he was watching her and looked up to lock eyes with him. A tingle crawled her spine at the intensity of his gaze.

“I’m curious.”

“About?”

“Who exactly… is… Min-ah’s boyfriend?”

“I’m too busy for a boyfriend.”

He squinted at her. “But you do have a Jimin,” he smirked.

“A Jimin?” she snickered.

“You’re close.”

“I’m very close with the members of Bangtan, especially TaeHyung-ie and Jimin-ie.”

“And Hoseok?”

“Lee Hoseok from Monsta X came over to work on music one day while MyungHee and her sister were there. She didn’t mention that they did our makeup. We looked awesome.”

He leaned in to read her eyes. “What are you hiding?”

“Hiding? I’m an open book.”

“Lies,” he laughed at her.

She threw her hair over her shoulder and returned her eyes to the water.

“He’s on tour right now, isn’t he?”

“Who… Jimin-ie?”

“Your bodyguard isn’t here to protect you right now… neither of them are.”

“JeongHan’s on tour as well,” she agreed. “Why is it that my friends who share my birth month feel the need to protect me from other men?”

“Because we know what they’re thinking when they look at you,” he smirked.

“Is that because you’re thinking the same thing?” she flashed her eyes at him.

He dropped his eyes to her lips for a moment before catching her eyes again. “Yes.”

“You’re an intense Scorpio…” she bit her lip. “I like that.”

He sighed as he sat back and looked toward the house.

“Suki dayo,” she admitted as he continued to look away. “I like you a lot and I don’t want to screw that up.”

He looked down in thought before turning back to her.

“My life is a fucking mess right now and I’m coping the best way I know how. Some people consider my methods… unhealthy.”

“Jimin-ie made it very clear that you’re not doing well on your own.”

“So you spoke to him?”

He smiled at her. “He’s still protecting you from half a world away.”

“Did he tell you everything?”

“I’m not sure. Why don’t you tell me and I’ll decide if it’s everything?”

She threw her head back and stared into the sky. She hated psychoanalyzing herself, but at that moment she was the best qualified to do it.

“That’s okay,” he rose to his feet. “I can wait,” he winked at her and walked into the house.

After a full day of stories, from both Yuta and her grandmother, MinSeok drove MinYeon and Yuta back to Seoul. They stopped at her apartment and had a few drinks before MinSeok was ready to go home and drop Yuta off in the process.

“I’ll be in the car,” he kissed his sister’s cheek. “Love you.”

“I love you too,” she watched him walk out before turning her eyes to Yuta.

“Thanks for making me a Kim for a day,” he smiled at her.

“We should do it again. Obahan really likes you,” she nodded.

His smile fell as he looked into her eyes. She felt hypnotized as he seemed to be reading her thoughts. “You’re so sad, Min-ah,” he whispered. “What can I do to make you happy?”

“You seem to be doing it,” she whispered as she pushed up onto her toes to kiss him.


	7. OCTOBER – I WEAR A MASK TO MAKE YOU HAPPY

MinYeon slowly became aware of the ringing of her iPad as she regained consciousness. The ringing stopped for a moment as she rubbed her eyes and looked up at the ceiling. She yawned and reached over to check the iPad as it began to ring again.

“Yeobosayo?”

“You’re still in bed?” Jimin laughed as TaeHyung slid in beside him.

“I took JiYeon-ie out for her birthday. The room’s still spinning.”

“What are you doing for JeongHan-ie?” TaeHyung asked her.

“I’m cooking for him tonight,” she sat up and ran her fingers through her hair before looking down at the camera. “Aish, it’s nearly 1:30. I need to pick up his gift.”

“You are out of it, Baby. Is everything okay?”

“I’m good,” she nodded. “Just busy. How’s Chicago?”

“Nice change of subject,” he smirked.

“Annoying, isn’t it?” TaeHyung elbowed him.

“Oh, Chan-ie’s noona is getting married on our birthday and I’m going with Oppa. I need a new dress…” she looked around. “I need a list…”

“I think you need more sleep,” TaeHyung smirked at her.

“I’m good,” she repeated. “JooHeon-ie’s birthday is in two days, I should send something to their dorm. Lay’s birthday is the day after. I sent his gift yesterday.”

“Min-ah… Take a breath. Not everyone needs a gift, Baby.”

“Do you even know me?!”

TaeHyung laughed at her.

Jimin watched her through the camera. He was still worried about her. Even though she was trying like hell to convince him that she was fine, he knew she wasn’t. That spark she held more than anyone else he knew was gone. She was going through the motions. She was barely keeping it together. “What are your plans for our birthday?” he changed the subject.

“And there it is,” TaeHyung shook his head. It was hard not to get whiplash while being friends with these two.

“I’m having lunch with my peer group and going out with the eunnies Friday night. Lunch in Guri and the wedding Saturday night. I haven’t decided if I’m going to the Super Concert on Sunday or not. I might go to Busan on the 20th instead for Asia One.”

“That’s the day of our last show before we come home.”

She nodded her head as her phone buzzed. She reached for it and sighed. “I need to go.”

“Please don’t stay out too late. You need some rest.”

“I don’t have anything planned tomorrow. I will be lazy,” she promised cutely.

“Ah… level two aegyo,” he smirked at her. “Nice.”

“Is it true that our families are surprising us and travelling to London?” TaeHyung asked quickly.

“Nope. Bye! Love you!” she ended the call.

They were both quiet.

“They are. Cool,” Jimin spoke up.

“Yes.”

MinYeon switched to the incoming chat. “Hi!”

“Hello!” WonHo waved with IM and JooHeon to either side of him.

“What’s up?”

“Are you still in bed?” JooHeon laughed.

“I’ve been taking phone calls,” she grinned.

“Okay…” WonHo spoke up. “We wanted you to hear it before the album hits,” he looked away and clicked a mouse.

“Wh…” her eyes widened as ‘Myself’ began to play. She covered her mouth while listening. “It’s so good!” she clapped her hands. “Wow. I like how you built it up more from soft and quiet to full volume vocals.”

“Let’s celebrate!” IM offered. “We have a few hours before our flight to Japan.”

“Yes! I definitely need food.”

“Meet us at Arirang,” JooHeon spoke.

“I’m on my way!” she ended the call and jumped up to get ready.

She met up with the three members of Monsta X for lunch and drinks. They caught up on the time since they had last spoken while laughing and enjoying their friendship before JooHeon was spotted by someone he knew. He went off to speak with them as IM excused himself to the restroom. Once they were alone, WonHo turned to her.

“Hi.”

She laughed at him. “Hi.”

“You look tired, is everything okay?”

“I’m just busy. I’m fine.”

He looked her over before letting out a sigh. “I’m beginning to regret bringing them with me.”

“Nah, there’s no hot tub here,” she flirted with him.

He laughed lowly before taking a drink. “Is there a possibility of… finding another hot tub… any time soon?” he rested his hand on her thigh.

“It’s always possible,” she growled.

He bit his lip and smiled, wishing like hell he had just visited her apartment. He glanced out the window as his face fell. “I think someone just took our picture.”

She forced a smile to her face. “That was exactly what was supposed to happen. Oops.”

He grinned at her as JooHeon returned.

After lunch, they parted ways and she went shopping. As the clerk wrapped up the gift she purchased for JeongHan, her phone rang. She saw that it was Yuta and smiled. “Moshy moshy.”

“Hi Yonnie…” Johnny purred over the phone.

“Did you just steal Yuta’s phone to get my number?” she laughed. “He’s going to kill you.”

“I have a few seconds until that happens,” he laughed. “What are plans for your birthday?”

“You’re in LA, right?”

“We get home on the 11th.”

“Ah,” she bowed to the clerk and carried the package out of the store. “I’m booked for lunch and dinner on the 12th, lunch and a wedding on the 13th. Possibly the Super Concert on the 14th.”

“That’s perfect. Come to the Super Concert. We’ll spoil you. There will be like… a dozen or so 95ers.”

“Is that my phone?!” she heard Yuta’s voice in the background.

“Gotta go, byeeeeee!”

She laughed as she walked off to the waiting hired car.

#

MinYeon rode up in the elevator to the eighth floor. She stepped off and rang the doorbell, waiting as she dropped the heavy bags beside her. Seventeen’s maknae answered.

“Hello,” she bowed to him. “I’m Kim MinYeon, is JeongHan-ie home?”

His mouth dropped open as he stared at her.

There was awkward silence as they stared at one another.

Vernon walked up and tried to help. “Who is it Chan…” his eyes widened. “Oh Shit!” he spoke in English.

MinYeon burst into giggles.

“I am so sorry, please come in.”

“Thank you,” she bowed and reached for the bags.

“That’s what you get for not believing me,” JeongHan scolded them.

“You’re so bad,” she hugged him. “Happy birthday, Chingu.”

“Thank you, Bbang-tteok!” he grinned brightly as the youngest two stared at him in disbelief.

“These are Dino and Vernon,” he made introductions.

“Nice to meet you. Are Seungcheol and Joshy joining us?”

“Ne.”

“Good. I need to cook.”

He took the bags from her and led her to the kitchen, leaving Dino and Vernon to take in the awe of the beautiful producer.

She went to work, putting multigrain rice into the cooker, setting up banchan she had made the previous day, and cooking up some fire chicken with cheese.

She enjoyed meeting Hoshi, The8, and Jun, who peeked in to welcome her and compliment her on how the food smelled. By the time the food was ready, all thirteen had surrounded the huge table and taken picture after picture of the food. MinYeon joined them, carrying a hot crock of soup that she placed in front of the birthday boy.

“Seaweed soup too?!”

“Of course!” she kissed his cheek.

“This looks great, Squishy!” SCoups looked at the food.

“I thought we were calling her MinMochi now?” Joshua looked up at them.

“It’s difficult to pick,” JeongHan looked at her. “Yuta seems to have taken an interest in her lately thought, so Mochi fits…”

“And you’re jealous as usual,” she purred.

“Of course I am. You’re my Bbang-tteok!”

“No presents for you,” she looked away as the whole table laughed.

They dug in, eating as though their lives depended on it as she watched them joyfully. She knew enough of the idol world to know that they were always busy, and even on their days off there were still things to think about and do. She also knew that they lived on take-out and delivery and was more than happy to provide them with a homecooked meal. They were, after all, her friends.

“How did you guys meet?” Vernon spoke in English, his native language.

“I met Bangtan’s TaeHyung and Jimin first. We discovered that we were all 95-Liners and they introduced me to the group.”

“The first night I met her, we were harassed by some assholes at the club. She totally annihilated some dude who called Jimin ‘girly’ and it was awesome!”

They all laughed again.

The food was demolished, cake was eaten, and gifts were opened in record time. The younger members cleaned up and reloaded her bags with clean containers as she and JeongHan sat in the living room and caught up.

“How has the tour been?” she asked him.

“I love touring, touring just doesn’t love me,” he sighed. “I had to visit the Oriental clinic today.”

“What can I do?”

“Nothing,” he reached for her hand. “It’s part of the job.”

“Yeah,” she sighed as she laced her fingers through his, the action feeling natural and relaxing.

“Thank you. I’m really touched by everything you did tonight. It made me feel really special.”

“You are special, you’re my friend,” she nodded to him.

“Close enough for you to tell me what’s wrong?”

She raised her eyebrows. “What?”

“Did you and Jimin have a fight? Your brother?”

“No,” she waved her hands.

“There is something very… off… right now. We all feel it. You’ve lost your… youness.”

It was on the tip of her tongue. She wanted to tell him, but she still wasn’t ready. “I’m fine,” she gave him the same lie she was telling everyone else. “I promise, I’m good.”

He saddened, knowing she was lying.

“Maybe that damned Scorpio can drag it out of you?”

She smiled at him. “He is trying. I didn’t realize joining the 95-Liners meant signing up for over-protective October-born brothers.”

“Brothers,” he grinned at her. “Keep telling yourself that.”

She rolled her eyes around the room. “Yeah, well…”

“Are you coming to one of our shows in Seoul?” Joshua joined them.

“There is so much going on at that time, but I will try.”

“Let me know and I’ll put you on the list,” SCoups joined them.

“She’s always on the list,” JeongHan scowled at him.

“Don’t tell her that, she’ll get an ego,” Joshua teased her.

“She already has one!” they laughed at her.

She loaded her brother’s car and waved to them before driving off. She rounded the corner and pulled over, retrieving her phone from her purse and dialing. She glanced at the time to see that it was only 10:00 and smirked.

“Good morning.”

“I’m on my way home.”

“Good. Get some sleep.”

“I will.”

“Love you, Baby. Goodnight.”

“I love you too,” she sighed, but couldn’t bring herself to end the call.

He quieted for a moment. “Baby?”

“I’m fine,” she whispered.

He rolled his eyes in the darkness and took in a deep breath. “Of course you are. You’re my baby.”

“Am I?” she whined.

“Why would you even need to ask that?”

“Just… over thinking things,” she sighed. She closed her eyes for a moment before snapping out of it. “Okay. I’m going to go to bed early tonight. I’ll let you know when I wake up.”

“Okay,” he ended the call and sat up to look out at the New York skyline. Now he knew the root problem. Now he knew why she was sad. She was seeing someone else, and it was breaking her heart. It was his fault that she had lost her spark.

He rubbed his face and walked off to take a shower and try to push his own sadness away. He was interrupted by a knock at the door.

“Ne?”

“It’s me,” TaeHyung answered gruffly.

He opened the door. “What is it?”

He immediately showed him the photo on his phone.

“Ah,” he looked away. “I knew that was why she’s been sad.”

“She does not look sad in this photo, chingu. She looks…”

“Yeah,” he sighed. “I know. You can’t really flirt with someone and make it look convincing if you’re openly sad, can you? This is what she’s good at.”

“Acting happy when she’s dying inside?”

“Trust me… it isn’t all bad. She won’t exactly be an unwilling participant.”

“No, she’ll just flog herself when she gets home for liking it. You two are insane,” he hissed.

“Yeah,” he rolled his eyes.

#

MinYeon stared at the screen of her laptop and bit her lip. She was supposed to come up with an original lyric for class and was absolutely blank. She felt like tossing her laptop across the room as she sat back and looked up at the ceiling.

The Bangtan families had arrived in London and were spending time with the group. NCT was in LA and performing on the Jimmy Kimmel show later that night. Mamamoo was in Tokyo. Seventeen was in Taipei. EXO was preparing for a comeback with a new album. Monsta X was in Chiba.

She rolled her neck and closed her eyes for a moment as words suddenly began flooding her mind. She didn’t know where it would take her, but she was going to go with it and figure out if they were good or not.

_You're the one I call when I'm_   
_Thinkin' 'bout nothing at all,_   
_You're the one I need when I'm_   
_Feeling good 'bout anything I think_   
_You're the one I reach for_   
_When I wanna celebrate something_   
_You're the one I look for_   
_In everything, everywhere and I_

_Oh, I'm doing my best, it don't always work  
'Cause I get distracted and I know it hurts  
'Cause you love so easy and you put me first_   
_And so while I have you…_

_I'm tryna be the one you need  
I'm tryna keep you next to me_   
_Oh, I'm tryna be the one you call_   
_The one you reach for anything at all, oh yeah_   
_Oh, how'm I doing? Yeah_   
_Oh, how'm I doing? Oh yeah_   
_Oh, I'm tryna be the one you call_   
_The one you reach for anything at all, oh yeah_

She stopped and stared at the words. It was in English. And she had music in her head. This was not for class, this was for Jimin. She suddenly jumped up and ran to her studio.

#

MinYeon read a text from Yuta and smiled before reading another from WonHo. She glanced at the time as her phone began to ring. When she noticed YoonGi’s number, she froze. Something was wrong.

“Yeobosayo?”

“MinYeon-ie… Okay, so don’t freak out.”

“What happened?”

“Jimin-ie woke up today and can’t move.”

“Can’t move?”

“We’ve called a doctor… it might be a trapped nerve. His neck and back are frozen and he can’t move.”

“Okay… and JK hurt his heel a few days ago… What about the shows?”

“We’ll have to see. He can’t dance right now.”

“Okay. Please keep me updated.”

“You’re much calmer than I thought you’d be.”

“Trust me, the urge to hop on a plane is real.”

He chuckled at her.

“Thank you for calling me, Oppa.”

He sighed. “You’re welcome. I’ll text you when we know something more.”

“Ugh. Okay. Those two really need to learn to pace themselves.”

“Says the workaholic woman…”

“Yeah. Oh, if he’s on pain meds he’ll probably forget, but the 12th is our 100-day anniversary. I hid a gift in his bag. It’s in the middle pocket he never uses.”

“I’ll tell him,” he chuckled.

“Thank you, YoonGi-ya.”

“I’ll have him call you as soon as he can.”

“Thank you,” she repeated.

“Bye,” he ended the call.

She sighed as she placed the phone down, but it immediately rang again. She smirked before answering. “Is this Johnny again?”

“No,” Yuta laughed. “He did receive a bruised rib for that, though.”

“Good.”

“Mokarimakka?”

“I just had lunch with my peer group.”

“Do you have plans tonight?”

“My eunnies are taking me out.”

“Do you have time now? I need to give you your present.”

She licked her lips as she thought about him.

“I have a KBS taping tomorrow.”

“And an album release, no big deal. You just got off a plane from LA. The jetlag is talking, you won’t remember any of this.”

“Then I should come over now.”

“I’m…”

“So the kiss you gave me at Chuseok was bullshit?”

“Why would you say that?”

“You’re making excuses to not see me.”

She rolled her eyes around. She was in a relationship with one man, fucking another, and now dating this one. “I will call you when I’m free, which will be late. If you don’t answer…”

“Later,” he snipped before ending the call.

“Scorpios…” she sighed before dropping her phone back down.

It was a few moment later when her phone rang. “Yeobosayo?”

“Happy 100th day, My Baby,” he purred drunkenly over the phone.

“I would ask how your shoulder is, but you sound like you’re feeling nothing right now,” she smiled. “Our 100 days is tomorrow.”

“I honestly don’t know what day it is,” he admitted as a manager laughed in the background.

“Wow,” she ran her fingers through her hair. “I miss you.”

“I miss you too. Your gift is behind the big Minion on the second shelf in your studio.”

“Did YoonGi-ya tell you where yours is?”

“Ne. I’m looking at it right now,” he smiled as he studied the Cartier watch. “I love it.”

“Good,” she walked into her studio and moved the minion aside before retrieving a pink box. “I think I found all of the minions you hid, by the way.”

“I doubt it,” he grinned. “I hid seven of them, one for each week.”

“Well shit,” she giggled. “I found five.”

“I told you,” he argued playfully.

She became excited as she unwrapped the gift. “Are these… Are you kidding me?!” she squealed as he laughed. “The pink Gucci Venice Beach sunglasses?! Park Jimin! I love them!”

“I guarantee they were way cheaper than this watch,” he laughed at her.

“I don’t care!”

“I know,” he grinned. “I’ll be in Paris in a week and I plan to make up for it.”

“No. This is perfect.”

He sighed as he listened to her. “It’s good to hear you happy.”

“It’s my birthday, how can I not?”

There was silence as she heard soft breathing.

“Manggae-tteok?” she sang. “Are you asleep?” she giggled.

She heard the phone move and SeJin pick up. “He’s asleep.”

“Thank you for taking care of him, Manager-nim.”

“Have a good night, MinYeon-ie… and happy birthday.”

“Thank you!” she ended the call and looked around.

#

“Happy birthday, baby girl,” Hyuna hugged her as they settled in at a pub.

“Thank you,” she grinned as soju was placed in front of her.

ChaeLin slid in beside her and threw a gift bag at her. “Sorry I’m late. I have a last-minute meeting with YG in the morning and my manager and I have been planning my contract negotiations.”

“You’re still here,” she kissed her cheek. “Thank you.”

“Aw… I love you,” she ran her fingers through her hair. “I can’t believe you’re all grown up now. I remember that cute little college girl…”

“I’d really like to be her again right now,” she sighed as Jessie slid in across from her.

“Sorry I’m late,” she threw a gift bag at her. “Tour prep has been a bitch,” she received a hug from Hyuna.

“I’m usually the late one,” MinYeon smirked. “Thank you for planning this.”

“Heize’s studio time ran over tonight, she’s on her way,” Jessi assured her.

“She’s going to be exhausted,” she sighed. She was happy that her eunnies were there, even with their busy schedules, but sad that they couldn’t spend the night forcing drinks down her throat.

“So… how are you?” Jessie’s eyes widened.

“I’m… good…” she answered slowly.

“What the fuck is that video?”

“Jess…” ChaeLin sighed.

“What video?” she glanced at Hyuna.

“There’s a dude who uploaded a sex tape and claims it’s you.”

“What?” she burst into laughter. “Where?!”

She turned her phone around and showed her.

“Wow,” she watched it. “Damn, she’s getting some height on those bounces,” she giggled as they all threw their heads back in laughter. “I don’t even know where to start with that one. I don’t have a cherry blossom tattoo on my shoulder… and my ass looks way better than that,” she purred. “Who the fuck is this guy?”

“Some white guy in LA.”

She rolled her eyes around. “Unless his name is Jase, I don’t know him an I certainly didn’t fuck him.”

“Nope.”

“Wow. How did I miss that one? The last rumor I saw was that I was caught in a gang bang with all thirteen Seventeenies and their proof was that we went to a Monsta X show.”

“The MinMin rumors have died down since he left for tour,” ChaeLin watched her.

“He deserves a break from my drama,” she hissed.

“You have not had a break since SM posted your pic in June,” Hyuna sighed.

“I’ll be fine,” she assured them. “Fuck the haters.”

“Fuck the haters!” they lifted their glasses before tipping them back.

The celebration didn’t last nearly as long as she had hoped. MinYeon walked into her apartment and dropped everything before plopping onto the sofa. She raised her phone and stared at it for a very long time before pressing the button.

“The night is young, why are you calling me?”

She smirked. No hello, no manners, no honorifics at all. “Are you trying to purposely piss me off?”

“I’m just being me,” he smiled. “But it is hot when you’re angry.”

She rolled her eyes. “The eunnies all have schedules tomorrow and I didn’t drink enough to get drunk.”

“How sad.”

“Right?”

“I’ll be there in a bit.”

“What?”

“You took care of me. It’s my turn.”

“I introduced you to my family and fed you.”

“Does it matter how we take care of one another?”

“No.”

“Good,” he ended the call abruptly.

She texted Jimin, wishing him a happy birthday before placing her phone onto the charger and walking off to change. She answered the door wearing an EXO hoodie and leggings.

“It still blows my mind that you’re the EXO Princess,” he smirked.

“You can leave with talk like that,” she snickered as he walked in and placed a bag of food and bottles of soju on the table in front of the sofa. He then spun around and pulled her into his arms.

“That escalated quickly,” she whispered as she slowly raked her eyes up to his.

“You called me,” he growled. “You knew what you were getting into.”

“You have no idea what you’re getting into,” she purred.

“I see more than you think,” he smirked before pulling away and opening the food.

She watched as he opened the bottle and handed it to her. “I have glasses,” she laughed.

“No,” he grabbed her hand. “Stop with the rules for just one night.”

She raised her eyebrows and stared at him.

“No honorifics. No manners. Just fucking relax for once,” he fed her a fried sweet potato.

She nodded to him before tipping back the bottle.

“Yabai,” he bit his lip before sitting down.

She pulled out a red bean bun and stared at it before pulling it apart. “What do you think you know?”

“The most obvious? Jimin’s in love with you. I’ve never seen him pay as much attention to one woman as he does you. And I’m fairly sure the feelings are mutual.”

“We’re in an open relationship.”

“Why?!” he spat. “Most men want just a second in your presence and he’s willing to share you?”

She took another bite. “We are one of three officially recognized relationships in the group.”

“That’s… serious.”

She nodded her head. “One of the girls isn’t a celebrity. Another has dealt with sasaengs in a very harsh way. That leaves us to take the heat off of them occasionally… and right now I’m supposed to do that by being seen with other men.”

“Ah… fans won’t snoop around them if they have you to stalk.”

Her shoulders shook at his choice of words.

“You have a stalker?”

“I did,” she looked away. “He committed suicide in August.”

“Fuuuuuck,” he growled lowly in English. “That’s why he’s so worried about you.”

She rolled her eyes around the room. She still wasn’t ready to talk about Jordan. “I miss him, but it almost feels like it will be easier if he doesn’t come home. I have no idea how this is going to work with him here.”

“Compartmentalize it.”

“That doesn’t matter. It has to balance,” she shook her head. “I balance my school with my work. I balance my stress with taekwondo. Right now, I can balance missing him with… being with other people.”

“When he’s here, you will no longer miss him.”

“That depends on Big Hit. If they decide that I have to stay away…”

“That balance… I get it. Fucking libra,” he tapped her leg with his foot. “So you’re seeing WonHo?”

“No. We’re just fucking,” she smiled as he burst into laughter. “I’m not a good girl.”

“You’re not bad,” he leaned closer to her. “You have the biggest heart of anyone I know. Sex isn’t bad, and knowing you… it keeps your brain busy.”

“You do pay attention,” she smirked. “I just have this problem…”

“What problem?”

“At first, I didn’t think I could do it. I knew I couldn’t pretend to be with someone, that… if I liked someone it would lead to sex. Now… I think I like it too much.”

“What do you like, Mina?”

“I already have a boyfriend. I don’t have to worry about a guy wanting a commitment because I don’t care. And WonHo doesn’t believe in marriage, so there will never be a commitment there. This freedom is addictive. I’m horrible at making choices and now I don’t have to.”

“Which is better? The freedom?” he pulled her into his lap. “Or the sex?”

“Both,” she nipped at his lips.

“The night I met you, Jimin told us you were his and to back off.”

She cocked her eyebrow at him. “He’s in Europe and you’re in my apartment, between my legs.”

“I am.”

“I’d say at this moment,” she leaned closer. “You’re mine,” she pressed her lips against his.

He was used to being the dominant male. He was used to making the first move. This was now their second kiss, and she had initiated both.

And that was the biggest turn-on he had ever experienced.

He was, however, still quite himself, and made sure she knew exactly who was in charge. He wrapped his arms around her waist and parted her lips with his tongue, teasing and tasting her as she moaned lightly into his mouth.

She ran her fingers through the back of his hair, the color of cherry blossoms, pulling lightly on it as he rubbed his hands over her back, down to her hips. He moved his lips to her neck, nipping behind her ear before running his tongue down to the hood of the shirt she was wearing.

He inched his fingertips down to the edge of her shirt and pulled gently as she raised her arms and encouraged him to do away with it. He immediately returned to bite down on her neck, hard enough to feel pain but not enough to stop enjoying herself.

She dug her fingertips into his chest, her body jolting at his aggressiveness. She felt his arousal pressing against her through his thin workout pants and sucked in an excited breath before kissing him again.

He sat up and pulled his hoodie, which was the same color of his hair, over his head and tossed it aside, the white t-shirt underneath nestled inside. She immediately rested her hands against his chest and rubbed them gently down to his abs as he bucked his hips up into hers.

He rose to his feet, wrapping his arms under her thighs and bringing her with him. She nibbled on his bottom lip as he walked her to her bedroom. She fully expected him to throw her down and continue his relentless torture, but instead he lowered her onto her feet and kissed her once again.

His tongue was gentler this time, teasing her and caressing hers in a way that made her insides melt. He unclasped her bra and slid it down her arms as she pulled the elastic of his pants and pushed them down his hips while making sure to rub his well-rounded, muscular ass.

His breath caught in his chest as she rubbed her body against his, teasing him even as he kissed her shoulder, again biting and nibbling on her skin as she let out a whimper.

He kissed his way down her chest, catching a hardened nipple into his mouth as he slid his hands down the back of her tight leggings. He grazed her nipple with his teeth lightly, appreciating her light moan immensely before pushing the material down to her ankles.

He gently pushed her back onto the bed and continued his assault to her breasts, flicking a tongue over her nipple before sucking it roughly.

“Ah,” she dug her nails into his shoulders as he smiled against her skin.

He then switched to the other and started all over.

She should have known better. This wasn’t going to be just sex. This was going to be an experience.

She opened her eyes to the sound of her mother’s ringtone. She quickly sat up and looked around before reaching for the phone and answering. “Mommy…” she ran her fingers through her hair.

“Min-ah… where are you?”

“Wh…” she looked down to see that it was past noon. “Oh my gosh, I slept through my alarm. “I’m so sorry.”

“That’s fine,” she hummed. “It’s your birthday, you can be late today.”

“I’m getting in the shower now,” she jumped out of bed and walked to the bathroom. “I’ll…” she looked in the mirror and noticed the bite marks on her chest and shoulders. She burst into laughter. “Wow.”

“What is it?”

“Um… I just got a good look at myself in the mirror. I will need to put more effort in today.”

“Call when you’re on your way.”

“Okay,” she rolled her neck before switching to her texting app.

MinMandooo: You left cherry blossoms all over my body.

Shirowa: Even my lips are strong.

She hummed as her body reacted to the memory of the previous night.

Shirowa: Good morning.

Shirowa: Happy birthday.

Shirowa: I hope you liked my gift.

She rolled her eyes before answering.

MinMandooo: I’ll be sure to complain to the others that you got me nothing.

Shirowa: Sweet. Keep my reputation as an ass. Nice.

MinMandooo: Your secret’s safe with me.

She stepped into the water and let out a deep breath.

#

It was eleven in the morning in Amsterdam when Jimin opened his eyes and immediately reached for his phone. He smiled at MinYeon’s texts, giving him a play by play of her day. She had awoken late and gone to her parents’ house for lunch with her parents, grandmothers, and brother. Having your birthday on a Saturday was a good thing.

She then dressed up and went to the wedding of Chanyeol’s older sister, who was a popular news broadcaster in Seoul. There were many selcas of her with her brother and EXO oppas, including his good friend JongIn. He was happy that his girlfriend was being taken care of on their birthday, but saddened that he couldn’t be there.

One of the biggest connections he had with her was that they shared the same birthday. They were twins, born on the very same day, and he wasn’t even there to share that day with her. He rubbed his face and sighed as he received a message from her.

MinMandooo: I came home to so many peach roses!

Lucky13: Happy birthday, Aegi. I miss you.

MinMandooo: I miss you too.

She sat on her sofa and looked around before resting her head against the back of the seat. It was almost over. He was going to be home in ten days. Then, they would go straight back to rehearsals to prepare for the shows in Japan.

“It’ll never be over,” she sighed sadly. They would always be playing phone tag and celebrating birthdays and anniversaries over the phone.

MinMandooo: I need to change for the reception.

Lucky13: More selcas please.

MinMandooo: Of course. Have a good day. Happy birthday, ssangdungi.

MinMandooo: I love you.

Lucky13: I love you too, ppang-tteok-ie.

She spent the rest of the night, dancing with her brother’s members, his closest friends in the world. As she took a break to nibble on a cookie and drink some more champagne, Chanyeol joined her and wrapped his arms around her.

“Happy birthday,” he kissed her cheek.

She giggled at him. “Thank you.”

“I got you something.”

She pulled away in surprise. “What? Why did you do that?”

“I’m no longer oppa,” he said with a nasally whine. “Now… I’m oppa,” he spoke sternly. He was telling her that he was now a brotherly figure to her.

“Ah,” she accepted the small box from him. “Thank you.”

He nodded as he rested his arm across the back of her seat and looked around the ballroom for a moment. “So… how is he?”

“Injured,” she sighed. “He’s been receiving treatment and injections for a trapped nerve in his left shoulder. He will perform in Amsterdam with modified choreography and on pain killers.”

He nodded in empathy. “They get back soon, right?” he asked, to which he received another nod. “That flight is going to suck. It’s always when you’re pressurized that everything starts hurting. Flights between shows are horrible,” he shook his head. “The ones home are the worst.”

“The Pop Culture Awards are the day after they return. I will have a salt bath, pain patches, and ice packs ready.”

“You’re such a good girlfriend, Mina,” he smiled at her. “Open,” he pointed to her gift.

She opened the box to find a pink leather Chanel CC turnlock cuff.

“Now you can look tuff while wearing pink Chanel,” he goaded her.

“I love it,” she giggled. “Thank you,” she kissed his cheek.

“Oh, are you busy this week?”

“I’m helping a friend move back from Chicago and I’ve found a dojong. I go to black belt class twice per week, but that’s about it besides class and teaching.”

“So you’re busy,” he grinned at her.

“It depends.”

“I want to work on a song. My studio. Just let me know and I’ll meet you at SM.”

“Okay,” she sipped on her drink.

MinSeok returned to the table, his hand wrapped around that of a very pretty girl as MinYeon smiled at him. “Everyone, this is SooMi.”

“Hello,” they bowed to her.

“We are going for coffee, so…”

“I’ll find a ride home,” MinYeon grinned proudly. “Have fun,” she waved.

He widened his eyes as he grinned at his sister before walking off.

“Wow. He’s all grown up,” she laughed as Chanyeol nodded in agreement.

“It’s about time,” he sighed.

“MinYeon-ah!”

She looked up to see KyungSoo walking toward her. “Why are you not dancing?”

“I am refueling,” she held up her bread.

He waited while holding out his hand, not accepting her argument.

“I guess I’m dancing,” she snickered before taking his hand and walking out to the dance floor with him.

“Are you having fun?” he asked her.

“Of course. It’s a great wedding,” she smiled.

“More importantly, it is your birthday.”

“That is very true,” she laughed.

“Are you eating well? You look thin.”

“I’ve had difficulty with that lately, but it seems to be getting better,” she lied.

“What difficulty is there?”

“I seem to throw up anything that isn’t deep-fried, alcohol, or bread. It’s strange.”

“Fruit counts if it’s fermented,” he offered her.

“Duly noted,” she giggled.

“At least you look happy.”

“Tonight I am,” she nodded. “Thank you for caring about me.”

“We all do,” he looked down at her. “I hope you know that you’re never alone. You have nine oppas right here.”

“I know,” she looked away, overwhelmed by his love. “I take it you’ve seen some of the rumors on the internet.”

“You can’t be seen with anyone without a dating rumor being attached to it.”

“I’m great publicity for their companies, though,” she smirked.

“You’ve been home six months and people aren’t quite sure what to make of it. You’re the sister of Xiumin, a young female songwriter and producer, and the only member of the 95-Liners who isn’t an actor or idol. They’re trying to fit you into a box. Don’t let them.”

“Never,” she purred. “Thank you for reminding me.”

He kissed her forehead before whipping her around in a spin.

#

“Thank you for my gifts,” Jimin spoke over the phone. “The pickled plums will come in handy tonight.”

“As they’re intended,” she smiled as she looked out the window of the moving car.

“What are you doing?”

“Marcus-ssi is driving me to Suwon for the Super Concert. I’ve been told that I will have my photo taken with every 95-Liner there tonight,” she smirked.

“And how many is that?”

“Um… Blackpink, Mamamoo, Seventeen, iKon, Exid, NCT… 12?”

“Plus you makes 13. Lucky number.”

“Ne,” she agreed with him. “There’s a barbeque beforehand, I have no idea what’s happening afterward.”

“I’m glad you brought your manager with you, then.”

“How are you feeling?”

“I’m fine.”

“Don’t lie to me.”

“The modified choreo helped.”

“Good.”

“I’ll be in good shape by the time I get home.”

“So you can do it all over again,” she rolled her eyes. “Oh! Oppa met someone at the wedding last night. They went out for coffee. I’m waiting another hour before bombarding him with questions.”

“Awesome. Let me know if he sees her again.”

“Okay,” she closed her eyes. “We’re coming up on the entrance, so I need to go.”

“Love you, baby. Have fun tonight.”

“Have a safe trip to Berlin.”

“Okay.”

She ended the call and looked up.

Marcus pulled up to the security booth and rolled down his window. “Miller Music Management-ui Kyung Marcus-waui KMY.”

“Hello and welcome,” the woman in a suit dress read over her information. She then handed over a packet. “The guard will tell you where to park. Your pass allows you all celebrity access, pending management approval. Do you understand?”

“Ne.”

“Have a nice night.”

“Thank you,” they bowed.

“MinMandu!”

MinYeon glanced up to find Hwasa making a beeline toward her as WheeIn followed. They placed a wreath of flowers on her head and a pink sash across her that said ‘Birthday Girl’ in English that flashed with LED lights.

“Seriously?” she burst into laughter.

“Very serious,” she kissed her cheek, leaving a dark red kiss mark.

“Cheezu!” Solar took the pic of the three.

“Saeng-il chugha!”

“Thank you, eunnies,” she scrunched her nose as Jisoo peeked out from her tent.

“It has begun,” she purred. “MinYeon-ah! Saeng-il chugha!”

Johnny froze and looked up into the air as a smile formed on his face. “I sense the birthday girl approaching,” he jumped up from his seat under a tent and grabbed a bag.

TaeYong smirked and did the same before looking over at Yuta. “MinMochi’s here.”

“Let me finish this level first,” he spoke while playing a game on his phone.

Marcus collected bag after bag of gifts as MinYeon took photos with her friends and met a few new ones.

“Happy Wine Day!” JeongHan arrived with a bottle. It was, after all, the 14th of October and officially wine day: the day couples shared glasses of wine together.

“Oooh. Gifts of alcohol are always welcome,” she hugged him.

She proceeded to take one sexy and one fun picture with the 95-ers of Seventeen before receiving hugs from a few of the other members.

“My turn, bitches,” Johnny waved as he pushed through them. “I come with the best gift you will ever receive.”

She looked around. “Where?”

“Me,” he frowned at her.

“Did you bring the gift receipt so I can return it?”

The group burst into laughter.

“Sassy wench,” he hugged her.

They too took pictures as Yuta slid up behind her and surprised her with a selca.

“My Scorpio!” she turned to face him. “And what have you brought me?”

“I didn’t realize I was required to bring a gift tonight,” he smirked as JeongHan’s mouth dropped open.

“Drop to your knees and bow, you peasant! How dare you disrespect the Queen!” he punched him in the ribs playfully as MinYeon giggled hysterically.

“I am seriously embarrassed right now,” TaeYong shook his head.

Bobby and Song from iKON joined them as MinYeon met JeongHwa from EXID.

“Are we all here?” Jisoo looked around as WheeIn wiped the lip stains from MinYeon’s face.

Photos were taken by managers before they broke up into conversations and visited the food tables.

As she sat surrounded by her friends, she felt her phone buzz and pulled it from her pocket to read the message.

TheOtherHoseok: I see you’re in Suwon.

She smiled and looked up to lock eyes with Yuta before licking her bottom lip and answering.

MinMandooo: Ne.

TheOtherHoseok: Meet me in Anyang.

MinMandooo: I’m here with my manager.

TheOtherHoseok: Find an excuse.

She raised her eyebrows and took a drink of the wine JeongHan placed in front of her.

“Problems Squishy?”

“Nope,” she grinned at him. “This is good wine.”

“Of course it is,” he smiled at her. “Have you had a happy birthday?”

“Amazingly so,” she spoke loud enough for Yuta to hear her. “I’m a bit sore, though. I had a sparring session late Friday night.”

Yuta grinned without looking up at her and took a bite of roasted chicken.

“That’s what wine’s good for,” JeongHan laughed.

“Are we going out later?” Johnny leaned across the table.

“After our managers take us back to Seoul? Doubtful,” she shook her head.

“Have you had seaweed soup?” Joshua kissed her cheek before sitting beside her.

“Of course, I had lunch with my parents and grandmothers yesterday.”

“Good,” Hwasa pulled up a chair behind Joshua and MinYeon. “Plans tomorrow?”

“Class and a few meetings, and then I’m greeting a friend at the airport who is moving back from University abroad.”

“You and those damned classes,” WheeIn complained. “Always in the way.”

“You should just drop out and go to work,” Jisoo laughed at her.

“Just because you couldn’t hack it doesn’t mean she should quit,” Yuta snipped at her.

“There he is,” SCoups smirked. “I thought you were too quiet.”

“John,” MinYeon turned to him. “Wanna go to Anyang?” she asked in English.

“What’s in Anyang?” Joshua followed in English.

“We’re going to Anyang?” Vernon looked up from down the table.

“They have awesome pub cabins there,” Bobby spoke up from down the table.

The English speakers began to plan a break away from their managers and how to split a taxi to Anyang.

“Okay. I’ve got this,” Johnny nodded before walking off.

Yuta watched MinYeon grin before texting on her phone.

MinMandooo: I’ll be there.

TheOtherHoseok: Good girl.

Johnny returned and leaned in. “I hereby call to order this first meeting of the Apple Pie Club.”

“What?” MinYeon burst into laughter.

“You have to have lived somewhere in the Americas and speak fluent English,” he explained.

“On it!” Mark Lee called out from the end of the table while creating a chat group. “Add the folks I don’t know!”

“There are fourteen people in this chat group,” MinYeon giggled.

“There are a plethora of us, my Queen,” he winked at her.

“That is discrimination,” Jenny walked up with her arms crossed.

“Sorry, baby. Thems the rules,” he purred.

“I know some more,” MinYeon added Hannah, Justin, IM, Jessi, CL, and Mark Tuan to the group.

“Squishy has connections,” Johnny smirked proudly.

“Why am I ‘QueenaKim’ and… seriously? ‘MeSeoHorny’ screams creeper,” MinYeon shook her head.

“I’ll grow a creeper ‘stach just for you,” he blew a kiss to her.

MeSeoHorny: Okay bitches, those of us in Suwon have decided to skip out to Anyang after the show.

Shuaaaaaah: We’re right beside you. We know.

JayBoi97: I’m in.

TheRealJimin: Who the fuck is this?

MinYeon cocked her eyebrow and frowned. The Jimin she knew that was fluent in English was the female Park Jimin who was a label mate with Got7, Day6, and Twice.

MapleLeafMork: I believe the title explains it, noona.

IMwhatIM: I’m exhausted or I’d be there. Happy birthday noona!!!

QueenaKim: Thank you!

TheNamster: I’m in LA, y’all. Have fun!

VernVern: Hyung-ie said I can’t go.

MinYeon smacked JeongHan and pinched his leg.

“Ow!” he pushed her.

VernVern: I’m in!

WendyWoo: I’ll be there.

MeSeoHorny: SM party tonight! Okay, so that’s eight. I’ll call a van.

MinYeon dropped her phone and took another drink of her wine.

“You picked the Americans over your brethren?” JeongHan offered her a pissy tone.

“You can take me out tomorrow night.”

He rolled his eyes.

“Plus, I will stay after the show on the fourth and go out with you,” she leaned into him. “Come on, oppa,” she grinned sweetly.

“Your squishy cheeks are my kryptonite,” he threw his head back dramatically. “Okay.”’

“I’m aware,” she laughed before walking off to speak with Marcus. “Manager-nim.”

“Yes?”

She stepped closer to him. “My brother’s dongsaengs would like to take me out for my birthday after the show.”

“Okay, where do I…”

“I will be riding with them.”

He raised his eyebrows. “Is that a good idea?”

“There will only be a few of us, and we are going to a private pub. They are all idols and know very well how to remain discreet and careful.”

He glanced over her shoulder to see Johnny, JaeHyun, and Mark smiling back at him.

“Please call me when you get home.”

“Thank you very much,” she bowed to him before returning to her seat.

#

The eight shared a van, listening to American hip hop as Wendy gave directions to the driver to Anyang. They arrived at the pub and were given a private cabin in which to drink. Photos and videos were taken while jokes and banter were exchanged. Johnny noticed that MinYeon began to check her phone and frowned.

“Are we boring you, m’lady?”

“Not at all,” she grinned. “Thank you for giving me a way to escape.”

“Escape?” he raised his eyebrows as she kissed his cheek.

“Thank you so much for celebrating my birthday with me,” she bowed to the others. “Please be safe and call a taxi to get home!”

“Wh…” Joshua frowned as he watched her leave. “What the hell?”

The two 95-ers peeked out of the cabin and watched her dash off to a waiting car. As soon as she slipped in, they took off.

“Jimin and TaeHyung are in Europe…” Johnny counted on his fingers.

“Everyone else is on their way home,” Joshua rolled his eyes around.

“Squishy has a secret…” Johnny smirked as they turned to one another.

“Happy birthday, beautiful,” WonHo looked her over in the glow of the dashboard.

“Thank you,” she sucked in her bottom lip as she did the same. “Why Anyang?”

“Lots of quiet places to park.”

“Oooh,” she glanced out the window. “Is your car our hot tub tonight?”

“Mmm hmm,” he turned onto a road that headed to a park close to the Bisangyo bridge. On cue, the heavens opened and released a deluge of cold rain. He turned off the car, pulled the seat back, and smiled before turning to her.

“I have a feeling you’re about to make me very happy once again,” she giggled before reaching across the car for a long, reacquainting kiss.

She yelped as he pulled her across to his lap, but quickly situated herself to straddle him.

“I will try my best,” he slid his hands up her skirt to sink his fingertips into the flesh of her ass as she breathed into his mouth.

She slowly ran her hands over his thick arms, feeling the outline of his muscles through his tight shirt as she rolled her hips against him.

He pulled the shoulder of her dress, nearly ripping it in order to reach her neck so he could run his tongue up to her ear and then back to kiss her chest. She ran her fingers through his hair, grazing his scalp with her nails.

He reached into the console to retrieve a condom as she reached out and pulled it from his hand. He took the cue and moved to push down his workout pants as she opened the package.

She teased him, brushing her tongue across his playfully as she reached between them and took him in her hand, stroking him tightly before rolling the condom on for him. He pulled her lacy, black thong aside and pulled her hips into his as she moaned at their joining.

“Fuck, you feel so good,” he closed his eyes as she rolled against him, her only response a low whimper.

“Oh!” she arched her back as she closed her eyes.

They worked together in rhythm as their hips met repeatedly, lifting one another to increasingly higher levels of pleasure. He held onto her hips as her body began to tighten around his. She became increasingly vocal as she sunk her nails into his shoulders.

As he leaned up to take her full, pink lips, a magnificently slow orgasm began to roll through her entire body. At first, her legs tightened, then her arms followed. Every inch of her body from her fingers to her toes clinched to the point that she could no longer move. Then, just as he himself began to feel the familiar tingle of satisfaction, she received her release.

He let her stop to catch her breath as the windows began to steam up. The rain beat down onto the car as she pushed up and turned around, sitting in his lap as he moved the seat to lie back a little. He pushed into her, meeting her as she dropped down to take him.

She reached for the armrests of his seat and used them as leverage to lift herself, bouncing against him as their skin slapped together as he once against held onto her hips. “Oh God,” she threw her head back as he moved his hand around her thigh, brushing his fingertips against her while reaching up with his other hand to pull on her hair.

Her screams of pleasure were dampened by the rain, yet inside the car rang in his ears as he exploded violently.

Their bodies continued to jerk for a moment until she fell back against him. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her neck as he smiled. “I’m not sure about you, but that made me… very happy.”

She smiled before turning to catch his lips.

She quietly entered her apartment and took the walk of shame, all while texting both her manager and Johnny, letting them know that she made it home safe and sound. Her phone immediately rang.

“Hey,” she sighed in English.

“You have a secret boyfriend,” Johnny accused her.

“I do, but that wasn’t him tonight,” she bit her lip to contain her ornery smile.

“Oh shit,” he giggled. “You know, all you had to do was ask…”

“Nah… leaving you drooling has become my favorite hobby.”

“That is so unfair,” he sighed.

“Life isn’t fair, my friend.”

“So true. Are you gonna tell me who he is?”

“Did I say it was a man?”

“Daaaaaammmmmnnnn, baby,” he purred. “No wonder Jimin has a permanent hard-on for you. You freaky.”

“Whatever,” she rolled her eyes. “Thank you for helping me celebrate my birthday. I really did have a lot of fun… even before I slid out.”

“Good. That was the point. Are you going to Busan?”

“I am traveling with EXO, yes.”

“Cool. See you in a few days then.”

“Goodnight, Johnny.”

“Goodnight, Queena,” he chuckled.

#

MinYeon opened her eyes and looked up into her dark ceiling. She had spent the previous day helping Seouli track down shipments and luggage and visit real estate agents to find the perfect apartment for the next phase of her life. The previous day was full of excitement for a future that included two people who were in love and were now going to get to spend time together. She knew from experience, however, that dating an idol was anything but happy and exciting.

Why did she feel like she was going through the motions of being a girlfriend? Of course she loved Jimin. She had never in her life cared for someone as much as she did him. He was the other half of her soul that she didn’t know was missing until they met, but were they really a couple? And was this relationship working out? How could her thinking have changed so drastically while being a part for only six weeks?

Perhaps she was simply in a bad mood from the nightmare she had woken up from for the second night in a row. She again spoke with, er, argued with Jordan. She relived his violent outbursts, but there were sweet moments as well—moments that had gotten buried by all of the many bad times.

It was time. It was time for her to get her feelings out about what happened to him and the best way she knew to do that was to write. She threw on one of Jimin’s t-shirts and opened her MacBook. She opened her word processing app and sat back for a moment as words began to flow in.

_Now it has grown to be so clear_   
_The unfamiliar shadow amidst those cheers_

_Perhaps I won’t be able to believe the words:_   
_"Let's see and hear only good things" anymore_

She rubbed her face and sighed. She felt the sadness bubbling. She knew she had to do this, she had to get it out. It frightened her when things got to this. She didn’t always trust her judgement when she was in the deep pit of sadness that seemed to creep up on her. She had put it off too long this time. She owed it to Jimin to deal with her emotions before he returned.

_Your silent sadness, it shakes me_   
_In my quiet sea, waves sometimes rise_

_And louder than bombs, I break_   
_All the pain pours out_   
_From the moment I knew_   
_The expression you had on was false_   
_Louder than bombs, I break_

Tears fell from her eyes. She felt the flood gates breaking. She knew it was coming as the words flew from her brain to her fingertips.

_You and I, we feel it together_   
_Sadness and pain_   
_It's not a coincidence_   
_Yeah, we both picked this game_

_Louder than bombs, I say_   
_I'll tell it in front of the world_   
_The times I've ignored you_   
_The days where I kept running away, there won't be any more_   
_Louder than bombs, I say_

She fell to her bed in an uncontrollable fit of wailing sobs. She would never have to run away from Jordan anymore. There would be no more hiding from him, no more looking over her shoulder. She was finally free.

Jimin checked his messages as they prepared to take the stage for soundcheck. He hadn’t heard from MinYeon since the previous day and was becoming worried.

“Are we ready?” SeJin called out.

“Just a moment,” he held up his hand before dialing.

“Yeobosayo?” she answered gruffly.

“Yet again, I’m halfway around the world wondering if my girlfriend has been kidnapped or fallen off a bridge because she won’t text me,” he teased her.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered.

“Min-ah?” he heard her voice. “What’s wrong?”

“I can’t…”

“Are you ill? Shall I call your mom to check on you?”

“No,” she whined. “Just… have a good show.”

“Baby…” he rolled his eyes around. “Talk to me.”

“I can’t…”

“Ah,” he sighed. If she was writing about Jordan, that meant that she was finally dealing with her feelings regarding his suicide. She was getting her thoughts and feelings out the best way she knew how, and that was to file them away and compartmentalized them. “I’m sorry, baby. I wish I could be there for you right now. Hang in there for one more week, okay?”

“It doesn’t work that way,” she cried. “You’ll get home and then immediately have a show and then I’m leaving for a conference and then…”

“What? You’re leaving?”

“I’ve been chosen to attend an International Conference of Music Educators in Indonesia. It seriously does suck to be this good,” she complained.

“Have Marcus send your schedule to YoungMin. We will schedule our time together down to the second.”

She sighed as she rolled onto her back.

“I need to go, baby. I will call you after soundcheck. And before makeup. And before we go on tonight. You’re not alone, I promise. I love you so much, Aegi. You’re my Bbang-tteok. My MinMandu. My MinMochi…”

“Stop,” she growled.

“I will give you aegyo…”

“That is really not necessary.”

“Aegyo from your hot AF boyfriend cures everything,” he teased her.

“Not this time,” she sighed. “Bye.” She ended the call.

His sad eyes met YoonGi’s as he stopped in his tracks.

“Oh no. It happened, didn’t it?”

“She won’t talk to me, and she sounds… really bad.”

“Okay. It’s crazy late at home right now, so let’s text her parents and brother.”

“She didn’t want me to call her eomma.”

“That’s what she needs. You’d tell me not to call yours either, and you damn well know you’d need them.”

“Yeah. Okay,” he agreed.

“All we can do is supervise from here and then make sure she talks about it when we get home. She can’t keep deep shit like this in, brother. It will eat her alive.”

He agreed again before cracking his neck and walking out toward the stage.

#

MinYeon opened her eyes and heard the water from the faucet in the kitchen. She frowned as she pushed herself up from the bed and looked around. She had lost all concept of time and reality and really wasn’t sure who was in her apartment. She reached for a dressing gown and wrapped it around her before staggering through the door.

To her surprise, there was a 5’9” Japanese man in her kitchen. “Watashi no sasoriza?” she asked if he was her Scorpio in Japanese.

He turned to her, his eyes immediately falling sad. “My Min-ah,” he wiped his hands on a towel.

“What… how are you here?”

“Jimin called your family and they held a meeting and your Obahan decided to send me to check on you.”

“Did you lose a bet? Draw the shortest straw?”

“No,” he smirked at her, appreciating her dark sarcasm immensely. “I have a reputation for… certain things. Apparently, your brother knows this.”

“What things? Mental health guru?”

“Something like that,” he nodded. “I now have a key and your code, so I am calling myself your Emergency Boyfriend.”

“I’m actually okay with that,” she walked to the sofa and bundled up into a blanket.

He pulled off his hoodie, revealing a loose tank top underneath before sliding in behind her and wrapping her into his arms. 

“What…”

“Shhh. No talking. I don’t need an explanation. You don’t have to talk about anything. Just… be sad. I will be your anchor.”

“That’s the sweetest thing anyone’s ever done for me.”

“Don’t you dare let my secret out, or I’ll start a rumor that you had your fuckboy drive all the way to Anyang…”

“That wouldn’t be a rumor,” she looked up at him.

“I’m aware.”

“Are you jealous?”

“No. Was he jealous when he saw the cherry blossoms all over your body?” he nibbled on her ear.

“He never saw them; we kept our clothes on.”

“Damn, that’s hot,” he sighed.

She relaxed against him and closed her eyes. “Thank you, Yuta.”

He kissed her forehead and allowed her to fall asleep.

When she opened her eyes, she heard yet more voices and looked around her apartment to hear Hwasa, WheeIn, and TaeHyung. She wrapped her blanket around her shoulders and sat at the seat at the dining table next to Yuta as he spoke on a group video chat.

“There she is!” TaeHyung grinned as Jimin appeared in the video.

“What’s going on?” she asked before rubbing her nose sleepily.

“Our group is growing and we need jobs,” Song read over his notes. “I, as president of the 95-Liners have delegated the following activities…”

“Hold that thought,” she held up her finger before walking to the refrigerator and returning with two sodas. Yuta accepted his and toasted her before they tipped their heads back. She sighed and turned to let out a small burp as Yuta belched loudly. She laughed before returning to the conversation. “Continue.”

“Okay, so… Chief of Security is Junghwa, Food Procurement are TaeYong and Hwasa, Drink Procurement is Johnny, Jimin’s in charge of photography and social media, MinYeon is the Master of Activities and TaeHyung and Yuta Directors of Transportation.”

“Is this for like… trips?”

“Yes,” they answered.

“What have I missed?”

“Trip to Busan in a few days,” Yuta informed her. “SM has rented the T2 train and Pledis has rented the T3 train. The 95-Liners have gotten the snack train, so we can hang out, eat, and drink all of the way there.”

“How long have I been asleep?” she blinked her eyes. “I thought we were flying?”

“A few days,” Jimin watched her through the camera.

“There are now 44 95-Liners, we need structure,” WheeIn spoke up. “So… Squishy is Director of Communications.”

“I already am,” she snickered.

“We know,” they all answered.

“SeungCheol is now password director in the event that someone leaves the chat group or we get hacked.”

“That’s a good idea.”

“Reservation Director is JeongHan, Event Coordinator is Jimin, Kakao Moderator is Hwasa, Birthday List Guru is TaeHyung, Master File Keeper is MinYeon…”

“I can’t help but notice that I have three responsibilities,” she smirked.

“You have the master file 24/7 anyway,” Yuta murmured.

“True.”

“So!” Joshua clapped his hands together. “The upcoming trip will be seven of us. We need matching jackets.”

“Like… nice ones? Embroidered?” TaeHyung typed on his phone.

“Birthday List Guru, begin a file on sizes and measurements. We need a treasurer,” MinYeon went to work as Jimin glanced at Yuta and smiled. She now had something to do to keep her mind busy and other people to focus on.

“WheeIn,” they all spoke as she dropped her shoulders and sighed.

“I am making reservations for a private cruise leaving from Haeundae with dinner for 30 people. Our sunbaes will all be invited,” JeongHan.

“JungMyeon-sunbae-nim is making reservations for ten at Flux. JongDae has a girlfriend and won’t go out, so that leaves three spots,” Johnny read from his phone.

“Lottery,” Joshua laughed.

“You can sneak me in and make it an SM party,” MinYeon suggested.

“Done!” Yuta agreed.

“There’s a bar on the beach that’s open until five, I can get a private room,” TaeYong spoke up. “End the night with just the seven of us.”

“When do you all need to start getting ready the next day?” MinYeon glanced at Johnny.

“Whenever they drag our asses out of bed,” he chirped. “I have mastered sleeping in the chair.”

“We all have,” they all agreed.

“All we need is a form of income, I think we can take over the world,” MinYeon nodded proudly.“I take it your accommodations will be arranged by your managers?” she cocked her eyebrow. “I’ll stay with Oppa, unless he has company,” she smirked. She absolutely loved that her older brother had a dating life.

“Oh! We need nicknames. I’ll put Jisoo on it,” Hwasa nodded.

“Madam Treasurer, please decide what monthly dues should be. There should be enough for the Birthday Club, wardrobe budget, and vacation funds,” MinYeon directed.

“Vacation…” JeongHan smiled, a smirk on his face. “Shu-ah’s idea is sounding more do-able.”

“We all need to be back on the same continent,” Jimin sighed.

MinYeon stared at the table as they spoke. She didn’t care if they went through with their orgy vacation. She just wanted her boyfriend home once again. “Are we finished?” she glanced up at Yuta.

He raised his eyebrows and watched her. “Are you hungry?”

“No,” she pushed away from the table and walked to the bathroom to take a bath.

“Okay, she’s been like this since September,” Hwasa spat angrily. “What the fuck is wrong with my Squishy? She wasn’t even right on her birthday…”

TaeHyung rolled his eyes around before turning to Jimin.

“It’s a long story and I don’t want her pissed at me for telling it,” Jimin ran his fingers through his hair. “Get her drunk and she might tell you.”

“Yuta?” WheeIn waited.

“If she wants to tell you, she can tell you. I’m here to make sure some food gets stuffed down her throat every day. I’ve been taking turns with MinSeok-ie-hyung and one of her cousins, but she seems to only wake up when I’m around.”

“What the fuck,” Hwasa whined.

JeongHan rolled his eyes around in thought for a moment. “Tell her to call me when she gets out of the shower. No excuses.”

Yuta nodded dutifully before ending his chat.

“Jimin-ie…” WheeIn continued on.

“When I get back, I’ll fix this,” he nodded. “I promise.”

“I’ll hold you to it.”

They ended the entire chat as Jimin sat back and covered his face with his hands.

#

MinYeon sat in the tub of hot water and stared at her phone for a moment. She was there, in that deep, dark pit. She could feel her energy draining by the second, even though she had been asleep off and on for days. She knew she could call out to Yuta, or call JiYong… she just couldn’t force herself to do it.

She clamped her eyes shut as tears streamed down her face. Thoughts she hadn’t had in a very long time invaded her brain as the sad words she had written so long ago spoke to her heart.

_It might be easier to just die_   
_Than to earn your forgiveness_

They were the words she had tattooed on her ribcage. They were the words she wrote with JiYong after the second time Jordan had tried to kill himself, and after she tried to as well. She wasn’t proud of the fact that she had tried to leave before, but her problems at that time were extremely overwhelming. JiYong was the only person to know that.

She climbed out of the water and dressed, not bothering with her skincare routine or makeup. She threw on a hoodie and jeans and quietly snuck past the kitchen before slipping out the door and heading to the train station.

She got off at the station she had chosen and walked a few blocks before arriving at the hiking trails of Achasan. There, she picked up her pace and sped through trail after trail before ending up at the peak. She sat quietly and took in her surroundings, noting the safety wire and general precautions put in place to keep people safe—and presumably on the mountain. She wondered how many times she had been in that exact same spot, pondering the exact same thing.

How easy would it be just to jump?

As soon as the thoughts materialized in her brain, her phone buzzed.

She pulled it out of her pocket and looked down to find that it was JiYong.

“Yeobosayo?” she asked softly.

“Where are you? Why are you in Gwangjin?”

“I’m on Achasan. I needed some fresh air,” she lied to him. “How do you know?”

“Your watchdog called me.”

“Ah,” she looked around. “Of course.”

“Who is with you?”

“No one… why?”

“You don’t sound good,” he listened to her voice. “It scares me when you sound like this.”

“I’m okay,” she tried her best to assure him.

“Lies,” he hummed. “You answered the phone though, so that makes me happy.”

“I did,” she sighed.

“Talk to me, little sister.”

“My brain’s stuck in a loop. Everything comes back to the fact that he’s dead. He tried so many times, but now he’s really gone.”

“You’re not, though. You survived. Please tell me you haven’t fought this hard for so long to let that piece of shit win.”

She raised her eyebrows. “Of course not.”

“Good. Now stop thinking about that jump, go home, and call Jimin.”

“Why Jimin?”

“I’m not an idiot,” he laughed. “You two are perfect together.”

“Ah,” she sighed. “That’s what everyone says.”

“You know it, you’re just too lost to see it at the moment.”

“Min-ah!”

She looked up to see Yuta running toward her. “Shit. My Mina-sitter found me.”

“Good, I hope he rips your ass for letting you get away.”

“Oh… I’m sure he will.”

“Please be careful. There are always cameras where you least expect them.”

“I am aware,” she sighed. “Thank you for calling me.”

“I’m always here for you, no questions asked. I love you.”

“And I love you,” she ended the call as Yuta reached her.

“What the hell?!” he pulled her into his arms. “What were you thinking?!”

“I’m sorry,” she hugged him back. “This is my thinking spot.”

He pulled away and looked down at her. “What could you possibly be thinking about?!”

She couldn’t help but smile as her sweet Scorpio showed his true colors. “I’m fine,” she whispered. “I had a momentary lapse and considered doing something very stupid, but I’m good now. This mountain gives very good advice.”

He knew everything, but wasn’t about to tell her. The moment he realized she had snuck out, she called Jimin. Jimin used his app to find her and called JiYong. JiYong called and stalled her so that Yuta, also known as her watchdog, could get to her. “Are you really okay?”

She nodded for him. “Thank you for taking care of me.”

“What in the world did he tell you to snap you out of this so quickly? You haven’t smiled for me in days!”

“He told me not to let that piece of shit win. He’s right. I’ve done nothing but fight him for so long… now is not the time to let him win. So… let’s go eat.”

“Just like that?”

“This is the part of me I’ve been trying to get to. I let go of the shit that weighs me down. Sometimes it takes a bit for me to remember how to do that, but… you stayed with me while I did. I hope you know how much I love you for it,” tears filled her eyes.

“It has been so hard, watching you deal with your demons the past few months. Right now… you look like my Min-ah again.”

“Well… your Min-ah’s very hungry. Let’s get sushi.”

“Yes,” he grabbed her hand and headed back to the trail. “You also need to call JeongHan.”

“Ah,” she sighed. “So many people are worried.”

“One at a time. Don’t stress yourself out even more.”

She nodded her head. “So… I’m a little fuzzy on… the information you have.”

“It doesn’t matter.”

“It really does matter. You just took on a truckload of responsibility for me the past few days and…”

He sighed as he stopped and turned toward her. “Emergency Boyfriend,” he reminded her. “It was definitely an emergency.”

“I’m sorry to put you through that.”

“I’m not,” he looked into her eyes. “I’m not crazy or deluded. I know where our relationship stands. We are friends… who occasionally fuck. I get that. What you don’t seem to understand is that to even be on the level of my friend… is not something I take lightly. I will do anything for you.”

“Wow. I didn’t know you could be so squishy and soft.”

“Those words will never leave your lips again,” he growled.

“Seriously, though… Thank you. I know I’m not the easiest person in the world to care for.”

“No matter what happens, what you go through… I will always be here for you.”

“Damn it,” she turned away and walked off, blinking her eyes to keep from crying.

He grinned proudly before following her.

After sushi and beer, the two returned to find JeongHan at her elevator waiting.

“Angels are waiting at my door,” she purred before leaning in for a hug.

“You look better than you did earlier,” he kissed her cheek before looking up at Yuta.

“Agreed,” Yuta raised his eyebrows before opening the door and leading them in.

“Wait, he has a KEY?!”

“I have been appointed by her Japanese grandmother as the official Emergency Boyfriend,” Yuta spouted off a line of bull with an arrogance to pull it off.

“I had nothing to do with it,” MinYeon smirked.

“I’m going to grab a shower and change,” he pointed to the bathroom before disappearing.

“He’s staying here?” he raised his eyebrows.

“You’re a nosy little puppy,” she kissed him quickly before walking to the sofa and sitting down.

“Shu-ah told me about Anyang…”

“It was fun,” she smiled at him.

“You have a secret boyfriend who wasn’t at the show?” he waited.

“Yes,” she nodded, “but that wasn’t who I left with.”

“Male or female?”

“At least you asked!” she giggled. “Johnny assumed male.”

“And all of this while your Jimin is away…” he hummed. “No wonder Hwasa refers to your man candy.”

“I’ve been told I’m a Kpop whore,” she leaned her cheek against the sofa. “It is what it is.”

“Don’t do that,” he angered. “You aren’t a whore. Love is love, and you excel in loving everyone.”

“That’s a sweet way to put it,” she laughed.

“Ah… smiles. My Squishy is back.”

“I’m sorry I scared everyone.”

“Jimin and TaeTae know… and won’t tell us. What the hell happened?”

She searched his eyes for a moment. “I was in an abusive relationship in college. Every time I tried to leave him, he’d try to commit suicide. He had our friends convinced I was crazy. When I came home, he stalked me. There was a night… I was drugged. I was out in the fuckboy clubs and I’m always so careful with my drinks… but I ended up locking myself in the restrooms until Jimin and TaeHyung could find me. Apparently… it was him. He had come to Seoul to find me, kill me, and commit suicide.”

“That’s… heavy.”

She nodded. “I’ve changed my number and kakao accounts several times… and the last time was in August. YoonGi-oppa spoke to him and told him to leave me alone. He then killed himself and blamed me in the letter. I found out about a week after Bangtan left for tour.”

“We all thought you just missed Jimin-ie and were being dramatic,” he pulled her into his arms. “I’m so fucking sorry, Baby. Oh my gosh, Min-ah… that’s so horrible.”

“I was doing well, keeping it all in… until I couldn’t anymore. Yuta’s had his hands full.”

“I am such a horrible friend.”

“No you’re not.”

“I knew something was wrong on my birthday, but… damn it.”

“Don’t do that,” she pulled away and looked up at him. “I was reminded tonight that I worked very hard to get away from him, and to let him win is unacceptable. He’s right. If I give in to the darkness… he’ll win. I will not let him win.”

“I’m glad that’s settled,” he kissed her nose.

“Thank you for checking on me. I’m sure I’m going to have many people to thank after this.”

“You have no idea how special you are, do you?” he pouted. “Don’t you ever fucking think of leaving me. Got it? I will never let that happen.”

“I have no plans to leave any time soon,” she hugged him. “I love you too, my angel.”

He kissed the top of her head and sighed.

#

Eventually, JeongHan left for rehearsal. Yuta left to prepare for a performance on Show Champion. And MinSeok showed up with an overnight bag. He was pleasantly surprised to see his sister looking much better than the last time he had seen her.

She stopped him from hugging her as she stared at him.

“What?”

“The last time we spoke, you were screaming at me over the phone.”

“I wasn’t exactly wrong, was I?” he huffed.

She crossed her arms and tilted her head.

“Aish,” he turned away for a moment. “I’m sorry.”

“I’m sorry I was disrespectful and yelled at you,” she walked away.

He placed his hands on his hips and sighed as he watched her. “Are you packed?”

“I was told that plans changed?”

“NCT somehow talked the company into changing our flights and taking the train.”

“Oh, you don’t know the whole story,” she giggled. “SM booked the T2, Pledis booked the T3, and the 95-Liners booked the T4 so we can hang out and drink on the way there.”

“Ah…” he laughed. “That’s clever.”

“We are organized and ready to party,” she sighed as she looked through her closet.

“So… what happened?”

She turned and looked at him. “What?”

“Jimin spoke to eomma, she called in appa, halmeoni, and obahan, and the next thing I know Yuta’s getting a copy of your key.”

“You don’t know?” she sighed.

He sat down on the end of her bed and patted the space beside him.

She joined him and stared at her hands. “It’s Jordan.”

“Did he find you in LA?” his voice lowered. “That’s exactly…” he was about to go on a rant, but stopped at the look on her face.

“He was here, Oppa. He came to Seoul twice. His plan was to kill us both, but he never got to me.”

His mouth dropped open.

“I know all of this, because it was in his suicide note.”

“He killed himself?”

She nodded her head. “He blamed me, of course. He always blamed me,” she sighed.

“Are you okay?” he went into big brother mode. “What can I do?”

“You did it and you didn’t even know. I’m… going to be okay. Jimin-ie has been directing from Europe and my watchdog’s been working very hard. The whole network worked so well, JiYong-ie-oppa was able to call me just as I got to the top of Achasan.”

“Achasan?” he watched her. “You used to joke about jumping…” he became serious. “Yeon-ah…”

“I’m okay now,” she whispered.

“Why didn’t you tell me any of this?” tears filled his eyes. The reality of her words hit him as his chest tightened.

“I couldn’t talk to anyone. It had to work itself out.”

“What if…”

“I had an amazing support team this time,” she bit her lip. “Last time… I was on my own.”

“Last time? You’ve done this before?”

“I’m sorry,” she whispered.

“That’s why…” he rolled his eyes as the tears kept flowing. “Eomma… told me a story. She explained how overwhelming the burden of having to remember everything was. She told me how sometimes, her brain gets caught in a vicious loop and the only rest is being asleep.”

She rolled her eyes around, relating to her mother more than ever.

“She said… sometimes it gets so bad… that the ultimate sleep seems like a very good idea.”

“Appa tries to keep her away from me when I’m like this, because he’s afraid it will send her there as well,” she murmured.

“I am a horrible brother,” he cried.

“No you’re not,” she finally allowed her tears to fall. “You’re my oppa and I love you.”

“I can’t lose my baby sister,” he held her tightly as they both cried. “Next time I’ll know. Next time, I’ll understand.”

“I hate being like this. I don’t want to be a burden to anyone.”

“You are my adorable little sister. You’re bright, and funny, and smart… and you love your friends and family fiercely… you are a blessing to every single person who knows you and for that, you will never be a burden,” he kissed her cheek. “I love you Yeon-ah. Please know that no matter what, I will always love you.”

“I love you too, Oppa.”

#

The final show in Paris was over. All seven members of Bangtan sat around a table awaiting a gourmet meal to celebrate the end of the European leg of the tour. YoonGi sat, enjoying a glass of wine before looking across the table to find Jimin staring off into space.

“Did you just wake up?” he smirked.

“Hm?” he blinked. “Yeah. I had to take a pain pill to be able to go shopping.”

“You didn’t have to do that.”

“Of course I did,” he smiled. “My Baby needs gifts.”

“She’s in Busan,” he looked down at his phone. Photos from secret Instas were popping up left and right from EXO, NCT, and Seventeen members. “She looks much better.”

“I’m supposed to be the one who was there for her.”

“You were awesome, what are you talking about?” he laughed at him. “Calling JiYong was brilliant. I wouldn’t have thought of that… but then again… you know her better than anyone else.”

“I just want to get home… but I’m dreading the flight. The altitude always makes everything hurt more.”

“That’s why we’re waiting a few days,” he sighed. “With TaeHyung-ie being sick, your back and knee, JeongGuk’s heel… Hobi’s legs… We’re all a wreck right now.”

“Yeah,” he looked down at his phone and burst into a smile to see a photo of MinYeon and TaeYong singing karaoke. “Ah. Two more days.”

Photos of TaeYong, Yuta, Johnny, SCoups, JeongHan, Joshua, and MinYeon wearing matching silk jackets were all over social media the following day. They even had a logo of a pig, their zodiac sign, over a Gucci logo, with the motto, “Never Not Having Fun” around it. Each, of course, had a nametag with a nickname given to them by Jisoo, followed by a funny quote they had been caught saying. JeongHan, nickname ‘Angel’ had a quote of, “Since we have so much great teamwork, we should kiss each other.”

He wore it with pride.

‘Queena Kim’ had a quote of, “I can’t put on enough makeup to hide this sexy.”

They were brutal, but they loved one another like siblings.

Their second night in Busan, they ran into a few English-speaking idols who were asked to join their group by mutual friends. One, was the female Park Jimin, labelmate with Day6 and Got7.

“Wow… so much cringe,” she teased them as she sat with her friend Vernon.

“This much coolness cannot be contained,” Johnny grinned at her.

“Noona, this is Mina Kim,” Vernon made introductions. “This is Jimin Park.”

“Hello,” they nodded politely to one another.

“Ahhh you’re the new Queen Bee,” she purred. “I wondered who the hell was blowing up my Kakao.”

“That was my fault,” Mark offered. “I’m not sorry.”

“There are soooo many SM minions here tonight!” she laughed. “Did you guys have a show?”

“Busan Music Festival,” JaeHyun offered. “It was a lot of fun.”

“I’m surprised any of you can remember it,” she nodded at TaeYong. “He looks drunk.”

“He normally looks that way,” Johnny teased him as MinYeon leaned in to translate for him.

“Ha,” he smirked sardonically.

“It’s more fun when they don’t know they’re being talked about, thanks,” Jimin popped off at MinYeon.

“And rude,” she raised her eyebrows.

JeongHan picked up on the energy at the table and pushed a glass of soju toward MinYeon. “Drink, Squishy.”

She glanced at him before pursing her lips and obeying.

“So, when is the Apple Pie Club going to meet up?” Johnny changed the subject.

“Whenever the fuckboys take a break from the clubs, I guess,” Jimin laughed.

“Fuckboys?” MinYeon asked.

“Jackson, BM, Henry, IM… you know the gym rats are all fuckboys, right?” she cocked her eyebrow.

“What?” she burst into laughter.

“The gym rats are the worst. They’re all fuckboys. They don’t work out to look good, they do it for the ladies.”

“I know a lot of gym rats who aren’t,” she argued.

“Name some,” she challenged her.

“TaeYang.”

“He was before he got married,” she smirked.

“Siwon.”

“He was until he found Jesus. He’s changed a lot.”

“The point is that they aren’t now,” she tilted her head. “Your statement is flawed.”

“Says the girl whose bestie is the biggest fuckboy of them all.”

The table quieted as MinYeon’s cute, pouty, heart-shaped lips spread into a Cheshire grin.

“Shit’s about to get real,” Johnny whispered to Mark.

“I have never been more afraid of a smile in my life,” JaeHyun murmured.

“You know…” MinYeon licked her lips, the lioness preparing for her kill. “I’m sure you miss the days of Googling your name and actually seeing your pictures pop up. That’s still no excuse for letting your bruised ego take over your mouth.”

Her mouth dropped open as her eyes widened, stunned into silence.

“She just went there,” Vernon whispered to JaeHyun.

“Savage Squishy has arrived,” Joshua quickly took a drink.

“Bitch, who the fuck do you think you are?!” Jimin jumped up from her seat as Yuta and Dino grabbed her arms. “You are nothing! A fucking little whore sister of an idol isn’t shit!” she screamed at her.

MinYeon pulled away from the table and stopped someone who was walking by. “Excuse me, have you ever heard of 15&?”

“Who?”

“What about the EXO Princess?”

“OH! She’s… wait, you look a lot like her! Is that you?”

She smirked and turned back to Jimin with a smug smile on her face. She held out her fist and then opened her hand. “Mic drop!” she mouthed before throwing her hair over her shoulder and walking off.

The entire table roared in laughter.

“She’s going to need a security detail to get out of here,” Vernon murmured to JeongHan.

He laughed in reply. “That may be the other way around.”

“She’s already gone anyway,” TaeYong chuckled. “She won the argument, she won’t be back.”

“I’ll make sure she gets back to her hotel,” Yuta pulled away from Jimin and walked out.

“I’m sure you will, my friend,” JaeHyun hummed.

“How can any of you be friends with me and even… like her?” Jimin seethed.

“You sat down and immediately began dissing her friends,” Mark shrugged his shoulders. “I can see both sides.”

“Fuck that. And fuck your Apple Pie Club. Keep her away from me.”

“I’m fairly sure that won’t be a problem,” Vernon sighed.

Yuta caught up with MinYeon and grabbed her wrist. She rotated her thumb toward his wrist and pulled away before grabbing his wrist. She spun around to grab his neck and was about to kick him in the face when she saw the look in his eyes.

“Yuta!” she yelled at him.

“Sorry!” he stepped back and held up his hands.

“Fuck,” she sighed. “You shouldn’t do that!”

“I know! You almost broke my face!”

She laughed at him before taking his hand. “Are you walking me to the hotel then?”

“I think you’re walking me,” he spoke slowly before clearing his throat. “You’re doing all kinds of sexy things tonight.”

She leaned into his arm and giggled. “Bitch had it coming. Her mouth just wouldn’t stop, would it?”

“She’s friends with a lot of your friends.”

“Well… they can keep her. No thank you.”

He looked around at the street. “Did you eat tonight?”

“You picked me up from the restaurant…”

“That doesn’t mean you ate.”

“I was surrounded by oppas. I had to eat.”

“Good,” he pulled her through the door and walked to the elevators. They both heard a click and turned in time to be captured on a fan’s Insta. Yuta winked at the fan before pressing the button for the elevator.

“I heard we’re flying home tomorrow,” MinYeon. “I think the managers are leery of a repeat of our arrival on the train.”

“Carrying Mingyu off was a special moment,” he laughed lowly.

They stepped onto the elevator and waited as the doors closed.

“Is your brother in?”

“No, he met up with Chen and his girlfriend for drinks,” she bit the corner of her lip.

“So we have a few minutes,” he stated.

“We do,” she answered. “You can’t leave marks.”

“That’s not fun.”

“He’ll be home in three days, and the last time you blessed my skin with cherry blossoms, it took nearly a week to heal.”

The door opened and he pulled her off with a yank, leading her to her brother’s hotel room.

#

MinYeon looked over the items on her bed and counted them off. Magnesium oil, instant cold packs, pain patches, physio tape, elastic bandages, a tens unit with extra pads, bath salts, and pain pills… white Gucci hoodie… heating pad…

She loaded up the bags along with rice cake that her mom made for him and headed down to the waiting taxi.

She must have checked her phone a dozen times on the way to Hannam as she tapped her fingers on her knees. When she stepped through the door carrying a garment bag and two stopping bags, she found the mansion buzzing with movement.

“Wow. Are you moving in?” Hannah asked sarcastically.

“I’m leaving tomorrow after the banquet,” she explained.

“We’re getting debriefed by the physio team,” Seouli smirked.

She handed over the bags for them to go through. “I’m fairly well-versed on tour recovery.”

“I see that,” the head therapist smiled.

“My plan is heat tonight and then an ice bath before the show tomorrow.”

“Go on,” he smiled and nodded to the stairs.

“Wait, I’m an actual exercise physiologist,” Seouli frowned.

“You are,” he agreed. “Let’s refresh your memory on tour recovery.”

MinYeon winked at her before dashing up to Jimin’s room to prepare for his return. She finished laying things out as the door opened downstairs.

“They’re here!!!!” Hannah’s voice echoed through the entire house just after noon.

She burst into a bright grin and dashed down the stairs. Her belly felt as though it was filled with hundreds of butterflies, even upon seeing his exhausted eyes, frail body, and disheveled mint-colored hair.

“There’s My Baby,” he hummed lowly as she ran into his arms.

They melted into a long, reacquainting kiss that put the other couples to shame.

“We were told that you wanted to skip food, but we made like thirty rolls of gimbap,” Seouli explained.

“What kind?” TaeHyung asked, his voice a mere squeak from laryngitis.

“Ham, egg, cucumber, fishcake…” Hannah listed off.

“Yours doesn’t have mayo,” MinYeon smiled as Jimin ran his nose down hers. “With extra ham.”

“Thank you.”

“Let’s get you stripped down and in a hot tub of bath salts so I can take care of you,” she purred.

“I’m awfully weak, you’ll have to help me.”

“You poor baby,” she cooed.

“Barf,” JeongGuk deadpanned before limping up the stairs.

“I have presents first…” Jimin’s voice was rough.

“Later. You need to rest.”

“Nonsense…” he smirked. “I am perfectly fine.”

She rolled her eyes to SeokJin and waited.

“He’s a mess, Yeon-ah. Work your magic.”

“Yes, oppa,” she pulled him to the stairs and up to the bathroom were a hot tub full of bath salts was waiting.

“I have a really hot nurse tonight. This is cool,” he grinned while stripping off his clothes.

She locked the door and removed her clothes as well.

“I had a dream like this once,” he growled.

“How did it end?”

“With water everywhere,” he smirked.

“Not tonight, ssangdungi. You need to rest.”

“Fuck that, I’m fine,” he whined.

She pursed her lips before pulling at the physio tape on his shoulder and back. “I see that.” She studied the bruises from the hard massages and needle marks from injections before her eyes fell to the tape on his knee. “You’re a mess,” she whispered.

“I have no doubt that I will be miraculously healed by your tiny hands,” he answered.

She knelt down to pull the tape from his knee before pushing him toward the tub. He sat up as she slipped in behind him.

They relaxed together for a moment, enjoying the feel of one another as she wrapped her arms around his shoulders and kissed his cheek.

“Welcome home,” she whispered.

“Thank you, Baby. I’m missed you like crazy.”

“I know. I missed you too.”

He smiled before trying to turn his head to kiss her, but it caught and he let out a moan. She immediately brought her hand up to gently massage his neck.

“So… I’ve heard that the 97-Liners are calling you Queen of Busan?”

“What?” she burst into giggles.

“That’s what JaeHyun told Gukkie.”

“Ah… well, I met the ‘other’ Park Jimin and we exchanged pleasantries.”

“Oh no.”

“She made fun of TaeYong-ie in front of his face, started calling my friends fuckboys, and told me you were the biggest of them all. I simply… suggested… that she was angry because when she Googles her name, she gets photos of you…”

“Oh…” he burst into low laughter.

“And that just because her ego was bruised, she didn’t need to be mean.”

“You are definitely back to your old self,” he raised her hand to kiss it.

“I get this feeling that she doesn’t like me,” she giggled.

“How can anyone not like you?” he shook his head.

“Well… I followed up by asking a random stranger if he had heard of 15& and he did not… but he knew I was the EXO Princess…”

“You slaughtered her, Baby,” he chuckled. “I can’t really say that I care. There was a time when I’d Google my name and get photos of her.”

“I have no regrets.”

“Of course you don’t,” he again kissed her hand.

She pulled her hand away and poured magnesium oil with peppermint and eucalyptus before kneading it into the muscles of his back.

“You’re so good at that.”

“I’ve been trained to take care of my rice cake,” she kissed his cheek again.

“I love you.”

“I love you too.”

“Are you sure you have to leave tomorrow night?”

She bit her lip. Her flight to Indonesia wasn’t for two days, but she had planned to surprise Yuta for his birthday. It was the least she could do for his care during her depressive episode. “Just like you had to leave for tour, I too need to go to work.”

“Aish,” he yawned.

“Do you need something for your throat?”

“Probably. I didn’t get as sick as TaeHyung-ie, but I’ve been trying to sweat out the bad stuff.”

“Good idea. Did he really break down on stage in Paris?”

“It was awful. He couldn’t sing at all, no sound would come out. My heart broke for him.”

“He didn’t sound too good tonight, either.”

“He’s taking medicine. He’ll be fine.”

“So will you.”

“Of course I will, Nurse Queena Kim is taking care of me,” he chirped.

She again rubbed him down with magnesium and helped him into his new hoodie and shorts before cleaning up the bathroom for the next injured Bangtan. Hoseok passed her in the hall as he walked to the bathroom.

“I left the bath salts and magnesium oil for you, oppa.”

“Thank you, Yeon-ah,” he answered gruffly before closing the door behind him.

She walked in to find Jimin sliding into bed as she reached for a cold pack and elastic bandage. After closing the black-out curtains, she wrapped his knee and placed the heating pad around his shoulders before sliding into the bed beside him. He wrapped his arms around her and closed his eyes.

“Thank you, Baby.”

“Get some sleep,” she ran her fingers through his hair.

It never got easier. It always broke her heart, even when she helped her brother after comeback practice or his tours. She was always the one to helped with recovery, but to see the people you loved most in the world, broken and in pain, was extremely difficult.

Just another reason why she hated the world of Korean idols. Their bodies were just as broken and beaten as professional TaeKwonDo athletes. At least they got to kick someone!

“I missed you, we should talk…” he mumbled.

“You need sleep, Jimin-ah. You’ll heal faster when you sleep,” she wiped under her eyes quickly.

“Will you be here when I wake up?”

“You have the death grip on my waist. I don’t have a choice,” she purred sweetly.

“Okay,” he breathed.

In under a minute, he was asleep.

#

Jimin peeked open an eye and looked around when voices from downstairs woke him up. MinYeon was on her phone, messaging one of her professors in the dark as he looked up from where his head rested against her chest. “What’s going on?”

“Bang-PD-Nim sent a catered meal,” she answered before dropping her phone and looking down at him. “He wants you all to focus on your Order of Merit ceremony tomorrow and do nothing but heal and rest.”

“My face will be unrecognizably puffy if I sleep too much.”

“That’s what ice packs are for,” she handed him a bottle of water. “Hydration helps, too.”

“Mmm,” he wrapped his arms around her. “My Baby takes such good care of me.”

“You have excellent taste in women,” she kissed him.

“I do,” he smiled. “We should go eat before it’s gone.”

“I’m going to go check on YoonGi-ya.”

“Okay,” he kissed her again before letting her patter off to the door.

She knew her way well, down the hall and to the left. SeokJin and MiHyeon were downstairs, so she peeked into YoonGi’s doorway to find him in complete darkness with the covers over his head.

“Oppa,” she sang out to him.

“Ungh.”

“You need to eat.”

“I’m fine, Yeon-ie.”

“I smell mackerel,” she tiptoed in and sat beside him. She slowly ran her hand down his arm and waited.

“Unless you’ve decided to be my pillow, you can leave.”

“Don’t be grumpy with me,” she giggled. “How is your shoulder?”

“Everything hurts… including the shoulder.”

“I have some great magnesium oil that has peppermint and eucalyptus in it. It helps with muscle soreness on contact.”

“Are you going to rub me down?” he teased her.

“You’re wide awake now, come join us for a meal.”

“Ah, it was a trap.”

“I’ll work on your shoulder if you eat.”

“I’ll be right there.”

“Yay,” she clapped her hands together before meeting Jimin at the stairs and walking down with him.

They gathered around on the floor, slowly waking up and becoming more talkative. MinYeon wrapped her arms around TaeHyung and kissed his cheek as he smiled. NamJoon sat back and watched the dynamics of the 95-ers. When the three were together, MinYeon distributed attention evenly. When Jimin wanted more attention, she was quick to give it to him, but then made sure everyone else in the room was spoken to as well.

She babied JeongGuk, making sure he had the most protein-dense food choices and plenty of rice and water, but then kept YoonGi’s plate full of fatty fish and kimchi. She really was like a sister to everyone in the group.

“MinYeon-ie, what is this conference you’re going to?” NamJoon asked before stuffing rice into his mouth.

“I sent a paper to the International Conference on Music Research and Education in July and was chosen to present it in Yogyakarta on the 25th. It was about the relationship and effect of music on human psychology and its utilization in current life. What set my paper out from others is that I included that in ancient Greece, music was taught as part of mathematics and architecture and therefore is why when you see Greek art or you look at their relics, you feel as though you are hearing music.”

Everyone sat quietly for a moment absorbing her words.

“My God, you’re absolutely right,” NamJoon nodded to her. “That is amazing. I never thought of that before.”

“And that’s why I take you to museums with me,” TaeHyung grinned as she nodded at him.

“So you do actually do schoolwork. I’m impressed,” YoonGi nodded.

“Occasioually,” she agreed.

“Imagine what you could accomplish if you focused only on schoolwork and stopped producing for a year,” MiHyeon suggested.

MinYeon flashed her eyes up at her. “Have you been speaking to my brother again?”

She nodded quietly.

“I’m glad he has friends,” she snipped before returning to her food.

“Are you already packed?” Jimin asked her.

“Not everything. I have to pack up my electronics.”

“That’s why you have to leave early,” he pouted.

She leaned into him and kissed his cheek. “I’ll be home in three days. It’s not seven weeks.”

“Oh! I heard the song!” JeongGuk called out from down the table. “It is awesome!”

“Thank you,” she grinned. “They did really well.”

“What?” Hoseok looked around.

“Monsta X’s new album, track 8,” Jimin nodded proudly. “Written by Mina Kim.”

JeongGuk immediately turned on the blue tooth surround sound speakers and played the song.

“That’s a different approach for them,” YoonGi tilted his head as he listened.

“That was the point,” she chirped.

The song had been out for 24 hours, yet Jimin knew the words and sang lowly to the prechorus.

_I begin to want it without realizing it_

_It's okay like this_

_Please_

_I hope you recognize me like this_

YoonGi watched her, listening to the words. This was the song she worked on that day on campus, sitting under a tree. It was at the ending spiral of their relationship; the day he knew he was losing her. She wrote this song because she was in love with Jimin and didn’t know how to leave him.

_Inside me, you crawl and crawl inside_

_I cannot escape_

_Even if you try to rewind_

_It's replay, replay, in its own place_

_The more tired I get, your picture leaves traces_

_Is it a misplaced illusion, I wonder?_

_You drift and drift_

_Making me dizzy, leaving me locked up_

“Wow,” Seokjin clapped his hands. “This is a great song! Congratulations!”

She bowed silently as Jimin rubbed his hand down her back.

The women cleaned up as the men went back to their rooms for round two of their sleep-a-thon.

“You know,” MiHyeon began, “NamJoon dropped a new mixtape yesterday and Jimin, NamJoon, and Gookie’s collab with Aoki drops tomorrow, but none of that was mentioned tonight. Only your song.”

“They usually hype each other up in those situations. I’m sure they’ll be back to their old selves by morning.”

“They’ve never played one of my songs at dinner.”

“I’m sorry, Eunnie. What do you want me to say? I didn’t ask them to tonight.”

She shook her head and walked off.

MinYeon turned to Seouli. “What did I do?”

“I don’t know,” she whispered. “I guess we’ll find out when the Scorpio in her explodes.”

“Great,” she pursed her lips before turning out the lights and walking back to Jimin’s room. She found Hoseok on his bed, stretching out his legs and immediately grabbed the magnesium oil. She handed it to him with a smile before sitting on the side of Jimin’s bed.

“You’re really good at this.”

“Trainee’s sister,” she pointed to herself. “Guri was close enough that when MinSeok-ie got a day off, he’d come home to be babied.”

“You are in the perfect spot to put your talents to use,” he nodded. “I think gave everything to our European fans, because I’m not sure I have much left.”

“You say that now, but in a few days you’ll be back at it, doing it all over again.”

He nodded silently.

Jimin walked in carrying boxes he had shipped from Europe as she rolled her eyes. “Are you serious?” she scolded him as Hoseok laughed. “You should be resting.”

“I am,” he assured her as he plopped onto the bed and pushed the box toward her.

“I don’t want to open it yet.”

“I don’t recall you asking me if I cared.”

“If I open one, will you…”

“All or nothing.”

“I’m cool with nothing.”

He flicked her in the forehead as she slapped his hand away.

“A compromise,” she suggested as he pursed his brows. “I will open them when SeJin comes to wake you up tomorrow.”

“He’s always late anyway, Yeon-ah. That will make him later,” Hoseok laughed.

“If you go back to sleep and wake up in the middle of the night, I’ll open them.”

“So I should place them downstairs.”

“Ne.”

“I’m good with that,” he nodded before carrying the boxes back down.

“How did you just do that? He’s the best negotiator on the planet. He always wins,” Hoseok watched her in awe.

She rolled her eyes around while smiling. “If we’re downstairs, alone, in the middle of the night…”

“Ah,” his cheeks flushed crimson. “You know him too well.”

“I do,” she giggled.

#

Jimin opened his eyes and immediately smiled into the darkness. He carefully reached for his phone to see that it was three in the morning as his heart skipped a beat. A promise was a promise.

He yawned as he brought his right leg over MinYeon’s left hip, which was draped over his left. Her cheek was against his left shoulder as her hand rested on his bare chest, stuffed under his hoodie—per usual.

“Min-ah,” he whispered.

“Hmmm,” she hummed against his neck.

“Baby,” he ran his hand over her ass, stopping at the edge of her shorts before pushing his fingertips underneath to gently rub against her silky skin. “I’m awake,” he bit his lip while grinning.

She slowly brought her hand down, past the elastic of his shorts, and found his growing erection. “You are.”

He threw his head back, releasing a jagged breath. “Presents… then…”

“Okay,” she pulled away and slipped out of the bed. He pattered around the bed and grabbed her hand while pulling off his blue duvet to bring with them. They walked down the hall and the stairs before turning to slide onto the sofa, where he immediately pushed her back with a long, lusty kiss.

Her favorite lips were pressed against hers, tasting and sucking at them as she lost herself in multiple waves of happiness. No one else on the planet kissed her the way he did, and she had gone much too long without it.

“Presents,” he pulled away and ran his fingers through his hair.

“I don’t mind,” she sat up and pulled him back in.

“Mmm,” he smiled against her lips. “My Baby.”

“Your baby wants all of your attention right now,” she whispered.

“Does she? What else does My Baby want?”

“I need to welcome you home properly,” she sucked his lip into her mouth.

“Baby,” he growled. “We need to be quiet… I’m supposed to be asleep.”

“I can’t be quiet,” she rubbed her body against him. “So what do we do?”

“You can wait until you get back and we can… do it properly.”

“You want to wait four more days?” she whimpered.

“My poor baby,” he kissed her.

“You’re the one who woke me up, you have to fix this,” she glared at him, her frustration increasing by the second.

“Aish,” he looked around the dark room. “The sofa will make too much noise.”

She tilted her head as she offered him an amused smile. “Were you gone so long that you forgot how to do this?”

“Yes. I’m a born-again virgin,” he complained sarcastically.

“Awwww,” she ran her fingertips down his side. “Does MinYeon-ah need to give you a refresher?” she whispered while inching her way down to his ass.

“Yes, please.”

She wrapped her legs around his waist as he pushed his hips against hers, but suddenly winced in pain.

“Oh no, shoulder or knee?” she waited.

“I’m okay,” he sat up. “Come here,” he pulled her into his lap, but as he looked up to catch her lips once again, he let out a sharp breath.”

“You are in no condition for this,” she complained.

“I’m fine. I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“I’m supposed to be helping you make it through the next day, not break you all over again,” she kissed his nose.

“You can’t break me.”

“That’s a challenge for another day, my love. Now give me my presents.”

#

It was midday when four managers walked through the doors the next morning and went to work. They walked into the main room to see MinYeon and Jimin on the sofa with a blue duvet draped over them.

“How can she sleep like that? He has a death grip on her.”

“Is he choking her?”

“Stop,” he laughed. “I’ve got this.”

“Good luck.”

“Jimin-ie,” SeJin called to him. “Jimin-ie…”

MinYeon opened her eyes to see that her face was pressed into his chest, his arm hooked around her neck while his legs were locked around her.

“Good morning,” SeJin chuckled. “Sleep well?”

“The pain killers make him snore,” she complained before pulling his arm off of her.

“Where are you going?” he growled lowly.

“It’s time to wake up,” she whispered sweetly.

“You’ve got this,” SeJin nodded before walking to the stairs.

“Ugh. Manager-nim… it’s too early,” he whined before pulling MinYeon back down to his chest.

“You need to get up, aein,” she purred.

“Mmm hmm,” he sighed.

“Namchin…” she cooed as she pushed her hand under his hoodie and rubbed his chest.

“Baby,” he growled lowly.

“I’ll give you aegyo if you’ll wake up.”

He burst into a smile without opening his eyes. “Lies.”

“Nae wangjan-nim,” she called him ‘her prince’ and added on a smearing of squeaky cuteness.

“Oh my God, that’s the cutest fucking thing you’ve ever said,” he laughed.

“I’m probably going to hell for it,” she pushed away and sat up, letting out a disappointed sigh.

“Wow,” he ran his fingers through his hair. “If there was a prize for waiting for your girlfriend to do aegyo, I just won it.”

“Your prize is an ice bath, pretty boy,” she mumbled while standing up. She pulled off the duvet and folded it over her arm as MiHyeon walked down the stairs in her pajamas.

“Seriously? Thy slept on the sofa?”

“He made me open presents at three this morning,” MinYeon complained.

“I’m sure he twisted your arm,” she hissed.

Min Yeon let out a sigh and looked away as Jimin sat up and looked toward the kitchen.

“What was that?” he whispered.

“It’s been like this for a while. The group pays too much attention to my music and not hers, I carry too much luggage, my brother will confide in her and she’ll make sure I know he’s displeased with something… I have no idea what I did,” she pouted.

“Have you spoken to her?”

“I’m afraid to,” she shook her head. “I’ll go get your bath ready.”

He sighed as he looked off at the kitchen for a moment before running pulling his hood up over his sleepy, disheveled hair, and walking into the kitchen. “Good morning, Noona,” his voice was still strained, but sounded better.

“Wow. No limp and you can speak. MinYeon-ie really is a miracle worker.”

“She’s a great nurse,” he smiled as he opened the freezer to retrieve two bags of ice.

“You’re taking the bath first again?”

“We have three bathrooms, Noona, and I didn’t think anyone else was going to be taking an ice bath but me.”

“I see.”

“Is there a problem?”

“No, not problem… just a lot of changes lately.”

“Change is a good thing, isn’t it?”

“Not always,” she growled. “Are you hungry?”

“Not yet, but thank you for offering,” he nodded before walking out.

MinYeon walked into Jimin and Hoseok’s room, returning from the bathroom and getting herself ready for the ceremony as they finished dressing.

“You are TaeHyung-ie are wearing the same suit,” she grinned.

“Yeah,” he smiled.

“Your tie,” he she pushed up to her tiptoes to straighten it as he looked her over.

“I love your hair wavy like this.”

“It’s natural,” she pouted. “I did it for you.”

“Awwww. Thank you,” he kissed her nose.

“Wow, Yeon-ie, that dress…” Hoseok stepped in from the closet.

Both men stepped back and took in the sight of the sleeveless, o-necked, black on black lace evening dress that cut tastefully across the top of the knee in the front, but flowed down past her calves in the back.

“I worked with Aswomoye to design it, and she had to take it in more at the final fitting,” she bit her lip.

“You look amazing, baby,” Jimin cooed over her. “I love it.”

“Thank you,” she glanced at her phone. “I am meeting your parents there and sitting with them in the balcony. I’ll see you later at the reception, but I’m leaving early…”

He sighed as he nodded his head. “I know.”

“Congratulations,” she straightened his lapel. “I’m very proud of you. We will definitely celebrate when I get back.”

“We will,” he kissed her.

She winked at him before walking off to gather her things and dashing out the door. The roommates made their way down to the others as Jimin overheard MiHyeon speaking to Seouli and one of the stylists.

“Oh my God, when is enough enough?” she hissed.

“What do you mean, I though she looked amazing,” Seouli whispered.

“She is like… morbidly skinny. That dress was probably less than a size zero and was still loose on her! I don’t know how she has the energy to function.”

“She does mukbangs and still manages to stay skinny.”

“I would bet my paycheck that she throws it all up as soon as the cameras are off. Poor Jimin has enough problems with his weight, I can’t believe he’d latch on to someone else just like him.”

His ears reddend as he let out a sharp breath. He then rolled his eyes around before walking up to the ladies.

“You look great!” Seouli grinned at him.

“Thank you,” he nodded. “I have a question that might seem… odd.”

“Okay,” MiHyeon waited.

“Did MinYeon-ie eat well while I was gone?”

They were both quiet for a moment.

“She’s skin and bones, Jimin-ie. She doesn’t look well.”

“Aish,” he shook his head dramatically. “She has a condition… She’s been to the doctor several times. She has to have vitamin injections frequently… She hates talking about it.”

“What is it?” Seouli’s eyes saddened.

“We don’t know. When she’s happy, it gets better and then as soon as something stressful happens, or one time is started because she ate a bad gimpab… but she will throw up everything she eats for a week straight. She’ll be able to keep down friend junkfood, but even that’s iffy sometimes.”

“I had no idea,” MiHyeon looked away.

“She had begun to gain weight before the tour and now she’s thin again,” he looked away. “I hope we can make her better,” he nodded before leaving them to their thoughts.

Seouli turned back to MiHyeon as she rolled her eyes and sighed.

“Damn it.”

“She’s been ill and we didn’t have a clue.”

“She threw up three times of the flight home from LA. I thought she was hungover,” she crossed her arms. “I’m such a bitch.”

A few hours later, at the Korean Popular Culture and Arts Awards, Bangtan Sonyeondan became the youngest recipients of President Moon JaeIn’s Order of Cultural Merit award for outstanding meritorious services in the fields of culture and art in the interest of promoting the national culture and national development.

Jimin’s mother held MinYeon’s hand as they watched the members speak one by one.

“Thank you very much,” NamJoon was the first to speak. “Because I am the leader of BTS, I am usually in charge of making the speeches but since we will be making our own individual speeches today, I’d like to allow our members to speak their minds. We return this honor to ARMYs.”

“Did he have a speech prepared?” Jimin’s father whispered to MinYeon.

“No…” her eyes widened. They watched as it dawned on Jimin that he, too, would be speaking and his eyes grew wide in panic. “And he’s frozen,” she bit her lip.

“I’m totally recording this,” JiHyun reached for his phone.

Jin was the next to speak, and seemed extremely prepared as he spoke. “First of all, thank you so much for this award. We often go overseas and when we do, many people sing along to our songs in Korean and boast that they’ve studied Korean hard. I was very happy to hear this and we will continue to do our best to promote our culture.”

TaeHyung, was not so smooth. “I’m not sure right now. I don’t know how to express what’s in my mind right now. I think my family will be very proud of me hereon. Also, I’m not good at expressing myself but I want to thank ARMYs and tell them that we love them. I hope everyone here today will be filled with happy days.”

“Aw,” MinYeon pouted as she applauded him.

“It is truly an honor. Thank you very much. So much has happened this year. No.1 on the Billboard charts, the Billboard Music Awards, AMA, the UN speech and now, the Order of Cultural Merit, it is truly a huge honor. We will promote Korean music with the mind of a national representative,” YoonGi bowed and smiled.

Then in was Jimin’s turn. “Hi, I’m Jimin from BTS.”

“They know, honey,” MinYeon grinned as his parents chuckled at her.

“Our leader hyung always makes the speeches so I feel like my heart is going to explode now that I’m up here. Everyone, this award is significant because it was created by our members, company, families, staff, managers and you guys. I want to say once again that it feels huge to me. So I am very thankful for everyone who is always with us and I wanted to say that this award goes to all of you. Thank you so much. I think we are probably the youngest here but it is an honor to be able to meet industry seniors who we respect very much. We will do our best to have a good influence on many people, just like them.”

They applauded him as JiHyun stopped recording and lowered his phone. “He actually did well.”

“Of course he did, he’s Park Jimin,” MinYeon elbowed him playfully.

The banquet in their honor was held in the ballroom of a grand hotel, attended by the members, their families, staff, management, executives, producers, choreographers, songwriters, and anyone else who might have been invited. They told stories, reminisced about the early years, and let the members relax after such a major event in their careers.

The alarm on MinYeon’s phone went off around ten and turned it off just as Jimin sighed.

“They’re getting ready to start the video PD-nim created,” he whispered to her.

“I know,” she leaned her head against his. “I hate that I have to go, but I need to do this. You understand that,” she flashed her eyes at him.

“Ne,” he nodded reluctantly. “Text me when you get there.”

“I will,” she kissed his cheek. “Congratulations again. I love you.”

“I love you too, Baby,” he watched as she slipped out of her seat and made her way out the door.

“And there she goes…” YoonGi smirked. “You know, if you dated a dumb girl, she wouldn’t be running off to give lectures.”

“I’ll trade her in when she gets back,” he laughed.

“Don’t you dare!” his mother smacked his arm.

#

MinYeon knocked on the door and waited as the housekeeper opened up and smiled brightly.

“MinYeon-ssi?”

“Emo-nim?” she grinned.

“They’re still at rehearsal, so you’re all clear.”

“Thank you very much, I will get right to work.”

“I hope you don’t mind… I know the boys are all away from their families and it’s always my gift to them to make seaweed soup for their birthdays.”

“I don’t mind at all, you are very good at taking care of my friends.”

She grinned at her as she dashed off to the kitchen.

After digging through a few drawers and cabinets to acquaint herself with the organization on the kitchen, she unloaded her bags of chopped vegetables, fresh soba, octopus, shrimp sushi and a tube of wasabi.

The door opened as she began to heat up the pan for takoyaki.

“Hello?” Taeil peeked in as they all smelled food.

“Did someone break in?” JaeHyun looked around.

“Yeah, there’s a food burglar in the kitchen,” Mark smacked him.

“That’s Japanese food,” Yuta pushed through them and ran to the kitchen. “My Minion’s here!”

“Happy birthday!” she giggled.

“It’s past midnight! What the hell?!” he hugged her.

“I know I’m a day early, but I leave for Indonesia in a few hours and I couldn’t resist.”

“This is awesome. Thank you,” he glanced up as his roommates peeked in from the doorway.

“Why are you her favorite,” Mark whined as the others laughed at her.

“It’s a 95-Line thing, you wouldn’t understand,” Yuta smiled at him, no hint of remorse at all.

“I smell food!” Johnny called from the doorway.

“Go back to the first floor! Nothing’s going on here!” JaeHyun blocked the kitchen door.

His eyes moved back and forth as his mind switched to overdrive. “Is that my Squishy in there?!”

“No!” she answered as his shoulders dropped. “Why is Yuta her favorite?” he whined.

“Right?” Mark laughed.

“I’m making enough for everyone, go tell them to come up,” she nodded to the younger boys.

“We’re rehearsing for year-end. All seven of the Chinese guys are here,” Yuta warned her.

“Emo-nim informed me,” she smarted off.

“Well then,” he watched her flip noodles in sauce and vegetables. “Need any help?”

“You are the Takoyaki prince,” she suggested.

“Wasabi bombs?” she held up the tube of wasabi she brought.

“I love that you get me,” he kissed her cheek before going to work.

Introductions were made to Chinese members Lucas, Kun, Xaio Jun, WinWin, Hendery, and YangYang, as well as Thai member TEN.

“You are a lunatic,” TaeYong accused her as he sat back in his seat, completely full.

“Why do you say that?” she looked up while eating a piece of cake.

“It is three in the morning and we just had a completely homecooked Japanese meal.”

“I have yet to see your point,” she squinted at him.

“You do too much for your friends, Squishy. None of us have the ability or time to do this for you,” Johnny informed her.

“No, you invited me to your show and babied me before sneaking me away from my manager to a bar. Then, I believe we continued the celebration on the train to Busan.”

“It wasn’t this, I guarantee it.” TEN pointed to the food.

“But I was with my friends, drinking my weight in fermented fruit juice. I had a great time.”

“What did Jimin-ssi do for you?” Johnny accused her.

“What, are you dating Jimin?” Haechan asked her.

“We’re friends… twins… born on the same day. He was in Amsterdam on our birthday, but managed to send 24 peach roses because they’re my favorite color.”

“What did JeongHan give you?” Yuta asked.

“Wine. You were there,” she giggled.

“You got her absolutely nothing, if I remember correctly,” TaeYong shook his head.

“And yet here we are,” he grinned evilly.

“I am exhausted,” Johnny yawned.

“Okay,” TaeYong turned back into the leader for a moment. “Floor one guys get the dishes, Floor two guys clean the table.

“How did you get here?” Yuta pulled her to the sofa.

“TaeHyung-ie let me use his car.”

“That was very nice of him.”

“I hope you had a happy birthday, My Scorpio,” she leaned against him.

“I’m very touched. You have a way of making people feel very special.”

“Life is hard enough, why not celebrate every moment you can?”

“We don’t normally get to celebrate birthdays.”

“That was before you met me.”

“True,” they both laughed.

“When does Jimin-ie get home?”

“Yesterday. I heated his shoulder and iced his knee all night before going to the ceremony. Now I’m leaving for a conference in Indonesia in a few hours.”

“You need sleep!”

“I need to finish packing,” she laughed.

He watched her before checking over his shoulder for a moment. “Does he know you’re here?”

“He’s probably unconscious at the moment.”

“So… if I take you home…”

“We’ll be alone.”

He smiled before clapping his hands together. “Let’s gather your things, shall we?”

#

MinYeon had just turned on her phone after stepping foot in Seoul when her phone rang.

“Yeobosayo?”

“Min-ah. Where are you?”

“I just got home from Indonesia.”

“So where are you?” he asked again.

“The airport,” she slowed down, picking up on the panic in his voice.

“I need to speak with you. It’s urgent.”

She looked around. “Okay. Are you...”

He let out a deep breath and calmed down. “I’m fine. Eomma and Appa are fine.”

“I can call a taxi...”

“No. I’ll be there in twenty minutes.”

“Okay,” she sighed and dropped her phone before heading off to gather her luggage.

As soon as the siblings set off, she turned to her brother. “What’s wrong?”

He glanced up at the rearview mirror. “Video of our dance practice was leaked. It was a new song.”

“Okay?”

“SM is trying to blame someone. They were studying security from the building and saw you visit Chan-yeol’s studio. They then went back and saw all the other times you were there. You are now a suspect.”

“How does working on music translate to taking video in dance rehearsal that I never attended?”

“I know it wasn’t you. EXO knows it wasn’t you. SM wants someone to blame and people know your name.”

She sat quietly and stared out the window.

“They know you’re my sister and that you are close to Chanyeol.”

“Wait, close? I’m close with all of your members, and a few other groups too...”

“They know, Yeon-ah. Channie had to turn over video of you kissing in May.”

Her mouth dropped open.

“This can go two ways. Either SM accuses you of being a sasaeng who has used her relationships to spy on EXO, or they will out you as Channie’s girlfriend.”

“How about none of the above?”

“They won’t listen. Either is free publicity in a time where they are losing ground in the Kpop market to Big Hit.”

“Fuck,” she grabbed her phone. “This is fucked up,” she swore in English. “What do you suggest I do?”

There was silence. She looked up at him.

“You’re my oppa. You’ve dealt with SM for ten years. Tell me what to do,” she pleaded with him.

He rolled his eyes around while driving.

“I need to call my boyfriend.”

“Right. We can meet at Yura’s flat. She’s still on her honeymoon.”

She nodded while dialing.

Jimin looked down at his phone and frowned. “What’s wrong?” he asked immediately. “Is your flight delayed?”

“We have a problem. I can’t tell you over the phone, but I can tell you it’s very difficult being a princess.”

He sat up and looked around the warmup room. “Where are you?”

“With Oppa. I’ll send you an address on Instagram.”

“I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

“Bye.”

He sighed and ran his fingers through his hair before walking off to find a manager.

ChanYeol answered the door. Both men were silent as they stared at one another before ChanYeol stepped back and let Jimin enter. He knelt at the table beside his girlfriend and looked across at her brother. MinSeok explained the situation just as he did his sister.

“Okay. So dance practice was leaked. It had to be SM staff. Why is it a big deal?”

“It’s not. SM has been trying to hire me,” MinYeon confessed. “I didn’t want it to look like nepotism, and I didn’t want KMY associated so closely with Xiumin.”

“If they can’t have you, they’ll blacklist you,” Chanyeol sighed.

“They can’t prove you leaked the video,” MinSeok spoke up.

“They can prove a relationship,” Jimin spoke up.

“It was a kiss six months ago!” she raised her voice.

“You worked with him earlier this month,” MinSeok added.

“Check the surveillance! We only worked!”

Jimin let a hissed sigh between his teeth and took her hand to calm her down.

“The only thing to do is for you two to go public before SM does,” Chanyeol looked between MinYeon and Jimin.

Jimin stared at him. “What?”

“It makes sense,” MinSeok nodded.

“How have we gone from me being a sasaeng to coming out as a couple with my boyfriend?” She rubbed her forehead with her free hand.

“It’s too dangerous,” Jimin played with his necklace. “Two of my members have hidden long-term girlfriends. We’d put them in danger too because cameras would be on us non-stop.”

“They already are.”

“You guys don’t understand how much worse this will be.”

“We do,” MinSeok raised his eyebrows. “If you think I want this for my sister, you’re wrong.”

“Seouli and NamJoon have been in a long-distance relationship for four years. She just moved back to Korea,” MinYeon explained. “They deserve to be happy for once. I can’t mess that up for them. She’s not a celebrity, she can’t go through this.”

“The alternative is every photo, post, history of us together blasted on the Internet,” Chanyeol explained. “They will hunt you down at home, on campus... Your Instagram is full of you and your idol friends. They’ll tear you apart and possibly demand that all of your friends cut all ties.”

She stared at him as her friends’ faces flashed through her mind. “Could it really be that much worse than it already is? Every man I work with is accused of sleeping with me. I can’t look at an idol in this fucking city without being accused of sleeping with him.”

Jimin sighed and rubbed her back.

“What happens if you two just pretend to be together?” MinSeok looked between Chanyeol and MinYeon.

“Mwo?” all three asked.

“Be seen on your terms.”

“You apparently don’t pay attention to Korean gossip. I already have a secret boyfriend, fake boyfriend, and emergency boyfriend. Sorry Oppa, my plate’s pretty full.”

Jimin looked away for a moment before pursing his lips and turning to her.

“What?”

“There’s always Yuta.”

“Are you serious…” she sighed before looking up at them.

“He’s Emergency Boyfriend for a reason, and he’s with SM.”

“That’s really a thing?” MinSeok yelped.

“I’ll… talk to him. He’s not really the public display type, though.”

“And that’s okay for you?” Chanyeol stared at Jimin.

“I’ve been out of the country, I have public alibis. I’ll take my chances against SM,” she nodded.

“You are insane!” MinSeok scolded her. “You…”

“Hyung,” Chanyeol placed his hand on his shoulder.

“You have a contract. You owe your life to them, Oppa. I do not. I’m not afraid of them. They cannot prove any of it. At the most, they can only prove I’ve been with him in the dorm and kissed him once in his studio.”

“So they’ll slut-shame you.”

“It’s nothing new,” she angered. “I guarantee it can’t be any worse than I get already, and I have never publicly dated an idol.”

They all sat back and took a breather.

“If that’s her decision, I will support her,” Jimin nodded.

“As soon as the scandal’s released, BigHit will pull you in,” MinSeok smirked. “Mark my words… this won’t end well.”

“It doesn’t sound to me like your idea will either,” she looked at Chanyeol. “Tell me honestly, how do you think it would work out?”

He rolled his eyes. “However SM wants it to.”

“Exactly.”

Jimin took her hand and lead her out to the waiting car. They gathered her things from her brother’s car and got into the blacked-out SUV before taking off.

There was silence as they made his way through the busy streets. As they stopped at a light, he glanced at her. “Are you okay?”

“No.”

There was again silence as the manager took a street taking them away from Gangnam.

“Wh...” she pointed out the window.

“I was home one day when you left for Indonesia, and it was spent at ceremonies and with my family. You’re staying with me tonight. You need to welcome me home.”

She nodded quietly, without arguing.

He began texting someone, but stopped and rolled his eyes in thought. “I need to speak with Jin-hyung and Joonie. I want you to go up to my room.”

“Ne.”

He watched her for a moment. “I love you.”

She looked out of the window.

“I’m not going anywhere, Baby. I promise.”

She nodded silently.

They walked into the mansion and were met by RM and Jin.

“Go on up. This won’t take long,” he kissed her cheek.

She nodded and walked off as Jin raised his eyebrows. “Is she okay?”

“She’s fine,” he led his members to the dining room to speak.

MinYeon sat on Jimin’s bed with her knees in her chest, her arms wrapped around them as she stared off at the curtains.

“Yeon-ah?”

She looked up to see Hoseok standing in the doorway. “Hi,” she smiled at him.

“Are you okay?” He sat on the edge of his bed and spoke to her.

“I will be,” she nodded. “Um… I think I’m spending the night. Jimin-ie just sort of… demanded it.”

“You’re finally both home,” he smirked. “Shall I sleep on the sofa?”

“In your own house? No…”

“Yes please, hyung,” Jimin spoke from the doorway. “We have a lot to discuss.”

She rolled her eyes to the floor.

“Ah,” he nodded his understanding. “I’ll be out of your hair in a moment,” he walked off to gather his pajamas and a book before grabbing his duvet. “Goodnight!”

“Goodnight,” they answered.

“Are you hungry?” he finally asked.

“Yes,” she answered before blinking her eyes.

“SeokJinnie made doejibulgogi.”

“That sounds good.”

He crawled across the bed and pulled her into his arms.

“Mang-gae-tteok,” she whispered against his shoulder.

He kissed her forehead. “Talk to me.”

“You know me… I’m second-guessing everything.”

“About what?”

“Everything. There are so many thoughts in my head.”

“The hyungs think you’re right. ”

She raised her eyebrows and nodded her head.

“We just… need to try to stay away from each other for a while. Your brother was right too though, Big Hit will probably request the same thing.”

“You just got home…”

“I know, Bbang-tteok-ie,” he looked around the room. “You will have zero problems getting a date. You have men lined up around the block for a chance to even speak to you.”

She flashed her eyes at him. “I’m picky.”

“I’m aware,” he ran his fingertips down her arm.

“I already have two… contingencies… in place.”

“Really,” his voice came out in more of a growl than he planned.

“Monsta X’s WonHo,” she watched his face for his reaction. “We’ve hooked up a couple of times.”

He cocked his eyebrow at her choice of words. “And Yuta?”

She nodded slowly. “It’s not difficult to be realistic when you’ve already been with someone.”

“Just be yourself aegi. Remember who loves you, though.”

“Same,” she rolled her eyes. “I don’t like it when people touch my stuff.”

“Oh?” He chuckled. “There’s my girl.”

She smiled for him.

“There she is.”

She nuzzled into his cheek.

He hummed as he enjoyed the feeling of her in his arms.

She took a deep breath, taking in his scent before kissing his neck. “How’s your knee?”

“What knee?”

“And your neck?”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” he lied.

She smiled against his skin.

He closed his eyes and licked his lips. “I thought you were hungry?”

“I am,” she purred while pushing her hands under his shirt. “Just not for food.”

“Hold that thought,” he jumped up to close and lock the door before turning on the TV.

“Roommates,” she laughed.

“Do you think you can be quiet?” he pulled his shirt over his head and threw it onto the floor before crawling up to kiss her.

“No promises.”

He smiled against her lips. “Well, I tried.”

“Liar,” she whispered as she lay back and pulled him with her.

The next morning, YoonGi walked down to the kitchen in his robe to find TaeHyung eating a banana. Jimin walked in and immediately began to make coffee.

“Really dongsaeng?” He smirked at Jimin.

“What?”

“All damned night,” TaeHyung complained.

He raised his eyebrows.

“That was impressive,” Jin joined them with a grin on his face.

“Shit,” he sighed before breaking into a wide grin. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, I’m injured. I just laid there.”

“Thank God you stay at her place so often,” TaeHyung sighed.

“That’s how my girlfriend copes, and last night was difficult,” he scratched his cheek. “You know what? I’m not sorry. You’re just jealous.”

Jin laughed at him. “Some of us more than others,” he glanced up at YoonGi.

“Fuck off,” he growled.

“We seriously were trying to be quiet,” he chuckled.

“It wasn’t the volume, it was the time span,” Hoseok yawned from the doorway. “How are you functioning?”

He tilted his head and grinned smugly. “I’m Park Jimin.”

“Does she need an icepack?” TaeHyung’s shoulders shook as he laughed.

“Stop,” he rolled his eyes.

#

MinYeon sat in the meeting between the managers, staff, and Jimin and listened to them outline the details of their new arrangement.

They weren’t to be seen together alone.

If they went out, it would be planned and involve other friends.

They were encouraged to be seen publicly intimate with other people for the remainder of the year.

“What if the situation changes? What if this thing with SM blows over?” she suggested.

“Then you may test the waters in January.”

She pulled her hand away from Jimin and looked across the room as he sighed at her.

“We’re having a party on the 7th. TaeHyung-ie and I can invite you as a member of the 95-Liners. We can just… hang out and drink like we used to do.”

“Before we were together,” she shot her eyes at him.

“You should probably bring a date to that party,” someone suggested.

“That’s not dramatic enough,” MinYeon hissed. “I should just hook up with someone from there and leave early,” she grabbed her bag and walked out the door.

“Min-ah!” Jimin followed her.

She stopped at the elevator and turned to him.

“I’m so sorry, baby,” he looked down into her eyes.

“I waited so long for you to come home… I wanted it to be the same as it was before you left and it never will be.”

He knew what she was referring to. The beginning of their relationship was relaxed and easy. There were rarely any arguments and they spent every spare moment with one another. “It will just take time.”

“I didn’t commit to you so I could be alone.”

“You won’t be. You’ve got Yuta and WonHo,” he forced out, every muscle in his arm clenching at the thought of other men touching his baby.

“Yeah,” she walked onto the elevator and left Big Hit on her own.

Later that night, around midnight, Chanyeol, Kyungsoo, and Sehun logged in for a VLive broadcast. It seemed as though they had been drinking, and they were discussing the new album.

“But we can’t tell you that, because it comes out in five days,” Kyungsoo elbowed Chanyeol.

Sehun rose to his feet and began dancing to their lead song ‘Tempo’ for a minute or so before Kyungsoo and Chanyeol stopped him.

“No spoilers!” Chanyeol threw his head back in laughter.

Kyungsoo began to sing part of a song before the other two stopped him.

“No spoilers!” Sehun cackled.

They essentially leaked their entire new album to the world.

MinYeon sat at her computer, watching, with her hand over her mouth. “They’ve lost their minds,” she whispered as the live feed was cut short and deleted. Her oppas just jeopardized their entire careers to keep her safe. She wondered what Big Hit would have to say about that. Would they revoke the separation order? Would they do nothing? She sat with her phone in her hand, completely unsure of what to do.

From a few miles away, WonHo walked into his room and collapsed onto the bed. They had just celebrated their first music show win and had performed ‘Myself’ live for the first time. It was a very good night.

He bit his lip and stared at the phone before dialing her number.

“Yeobosayo?” She answered quickly.

“Hi. Sorry it’s so late.”

“I’m fine, I’ve been watching videos. What’s up?”

“We performed your song tonight,” he grinned excitedly.

“I missed it! I’m so sorry!”

“You can watch it online. We also won our first win for the comeback.”

“Singing my song?” He heard her clap her hands. “Daebak!”

“I already celebrated with the group… but I feel the need to celebrate with you.”

Her breath caught in her throat. It was past midnight, the only type of celebration they could possibly have was… “Where?”

“I might need help on a song in my studio.”

“That’s hot.”

“Meet me in the parking garage.”

“I’m on my way,” she was already heading out before the call ended.

She stepped out of a taxi a block away and pulled her hoodie over her head as she walked toward an alley that passed behind Starship Entertainment. Her eyes never stopped moving as she looked around for any sign that she may have been watched. As she slinked through the shadows, she saw the headlights of a car and stopped, pressing herself against a building as they passed. She wasn’t sure which was more exciting, her clandestine meet-up or the fear of getting caught.

She was in a near-jog as she slipped through the gate of the parking garage and met him at the doorway. He grinned at her before turning to security and nodding. Grabbing her hand, he pulled her through to the elevators and scanned his badge. As soon as the doors closed, he turned to kiss her.

“Anneyong.”

“Anneyong,” she grinned against his lips.

“Congratulations.”

“You’re the one who performed it.”

“I think of you the entire time I do.”

She bit her lip and pulled back, looking up into his eyes. “Hoseok-ie…”

He quieted her with another kiss as the elevator stopped. As the doors opened, he pulled her out and sped down the hall to his studio. She glanced down the hall as he pressed the code to get in before yanking her into the room.

She smiled at him as he moved his equipment around on his desk to make room and then picked her up like a child. She giggled as he swung her around and sat her down on the glass desktop before sitting back in his leather seat and looking up at her.

“How can one person be so damned beautiful?” He whispered as she stared straight into his eyes.

He rolled his chair toward her as she placed a foot on either side of his hips, bending down and cupping his face as his lips once again met hers. If this was what Big Hit wanted, she was going to do it with gusto.

He pushed her hood off of her head and ran his fingers through her hair as his tongue brushed across hers repeatedly. He suddenly rose to his feet, breaking their kiss and allowing her to catch her breath as he reached for the elastic waistband of her leggings and pulled them. She reached back to catch her balance on the desk as he tugged them around her ass, but stopped at her thighs.

The glass felt cold against her bare ass, but she couldn’t care less as she waited for him to push down his jeans and roll on a condom. He then slipped his arms under her thighs, her legs against his huge biceps as he grabbed her ass and pulled her off of the desk.

She threw her head back and cried out as he pushed inside her, one hand against the desk and one grasping the back of his neck as he pulled her against him repeatedly.

“Yes,” she whimpered. “Fuck me,” she begged him.

The desk rattled under her as he pounded harder, their skin slapping together as he dug his fingers into her flesh. “Cum for me, baby,” he growled lowly as she clamped her eyes shut and dropped her other hand to the desk, pushing her body against his.

“Oh my God,” she squealed. “Fuck, fuck, fuck!” She nearly screamed as her body clamped down on him, exploding into intense spasms and bringing him with her.

He grunted into her shoulder before pounding against her one last time and turning one hand to catch his balance against the desk.

“Shit…” she purred as he smiled against her neck. “I’m not going to be able to walk home.”

“That makes me happy,” he chuckled before sitting back onto the desk and moving his hands to her cheeks. He kissed her gently before pulling away to let her lower her legs.

He pulled off the condom and grabbed a few tissues to clean up as she slid off the desk, catching herself on wobbly legs and pulling up her leggings.

“I don’t think we’ve ever been that quick before.”

“No,” he smirked. “Give me a few minutes and we can try again.”

She giggled at him before plopping down into his chair and looking around. “What are you doing on the 7th?”

He raised his eyebrows before looking for his phone and looking up the date on his schedule. “Bangtan’s having a party… why?”

“I’m going to be there as guests of my 95ers… and I think it might be a good time for you to maybe… make a public gesture.”

He stared at her as he adjusted his waistband. “In front of your boyfriend?”

“SM is pissed that I turned down their offer and are trying to blacklist me. I need to distance myself from Bangtan for a while.”

“And he’s okay with this?”

“I’m supposed to be seen with Yuta because he’s with SM, but… he’s busy at the moment.”

“The SM Town Halloween Party was tonight.”

She nodded quietly. “I’m going to the Seventeen show on Sunday. There’s always an uptick on rumors when I’m seen with them,” she sighed.

He stared at the wall and rested his hands on his hips. “Why do you do this to yourself?”

She pursed her eyebrows and looked up at him.

“You don’t have to go through this. There are universities all over the world.”

“I think about that every day,” she admitted. “I suppose when I decide I can’t handle it any longer, I will.”

He walked up to her and held out his hand. She took it and rose to her feet as he pulled her into his arms. “So what, you want me to flirt with you? Act like I like you at a party?”

“Sure,” she smiled as she looked up at him. “Whatever you’re comfortable with.”

“What if I kiss you?”

“That would be horrible,” she grinned. “Please, anything but that.”

He smiled as he kissed her. “What if… we get carried away?”

“I’m not the one with legions of fans who will be pissed.”

His eyes widened. “I think it’s you who needs to worry about that.”

“I hope you’re prepared for the backlash of MinMinion,” she sighed. “And Army and whomever else might remotely hate me even more than they already do.”

“Why do you stay here, Minion-ah? You don’t have to put up with this stress. You didn’t ask to be famous.”

“I hate the life of idols, but most of you are my closest people. I feel the need to help as much as I can and take care of you because if I don’t… who will?”

“Thank you,” he kissed her. “You are one of the strongest women I’ve ever met.”

“It’s all an act,” she teased him.

“Sure it is,” he sighed. “Do you need a ride home?”

“Nope. I’ll sneak away like a ninja, just how I got here.”

He laughed at her before leaning down for a kiss.


	8. NOVEMBER – MY SELFISHNESS WON’T LET YOU GO

MinYeon stood on the train and read through a few messages on her phone. She felt as though she were being stared at and looked up to lock eyes with a strange man. She sighed and looked back down at her phone.

As he continued to stare, she glanced up to see how many stops away from hers she was before sliding her phone into her bag and looking back at the man. They stared at one another for a long while until he licked his lips.

“You’re a dirty old man,” she glared at him. “I’m old enough to be your granddaughter.”

He smirked at her as the grandmother beside him slammed her umbrella onto his foot.

MinYeon smiled in appreciation to the woman and nodded to her.

She finally stepped off at her stop and walked quickly to her apartment. She was mumbling to herself when she opened the door and found Yuta on her sofa, waiting.

“What the fuck?!” She grabbed her chest. “Damn it! I will throat punch you one day, I’m sure of it!”

He burst into laughter. “That’s what you get!”

“What the hell did I do?” She yelled at him.

“I had to hear about the SM thing from your brother last night!” He yelled back.

“Fuck,” she dropped her things and kicked out of her shoes before reaching for a bottle of soju.

“Min-ah…” he watched her, suddenly concerned. “It’s still morning. Why are you drinking?”

“So… many… reasons…” she walked in and plopped down beside him. She smirked when she looked down at his hands and there was still black nail polish from the previous night. “You looked absolutely beautiful in your costume,” she teased him.

“That Libra bullshit doesn’t work on me. What the fuck is going on?”

She rolled her eyes. “Oppa told you.”

“Why haven’t you told me?”

“You’ve been busy.”

“You managed to surprise me for my birthday between two packed days and before a flight to Indonesia. Don’t lie to me.”

She rolled her eyes and sighed. “SM’s trying to blacklist me because I refused their offer. The oppas thought I should pretend to have a relationship with Chan-ie because we had a thing back in May. Big Hit is ordered us to stay away from one another the remainder of the year and told me I need to be seen with other people, but all of this is shit because EXO leaked their own fucking album to pull me out of the crosshairs.”

He stared at her. “If we’re seen together, it would kill two birds with one stone.”

“You are in the middle of comeback and festival season is beginning… you shouldn’t have to deal with this.”

“So you’re making my decisions for me?”

“No…” she glared at him.

“Why can’t we just do what you and Jimin used to do?”

She raised her eyebrows. “True.”

“Come to lunch with me. We’ll have sushi.”

“You make my head spin,” she laughed.

“And you drive me nuts. We’re even.”

She smirked at him before walking off to grab her things.

The two did exactly as he suggested, holding hands while waiting for a taxi, walking through the streets of Gangnam, and at the restaurant. She could feel the stares and hear the whispering of fans as they sat at a restaurant close to SM’s offices.

“See, true fans give us space,” he explained after yet another person took their picture together. “They know that his is my unscheduled personal time and respect that. Sasaengs are the ones following us and taking pics to post on the internet.”

“And paparazzi,” she chirped.

“And neither of them deserves any respect,” he stuffed a roll in his mouth that was piled with wasabi.

MinYeon burst into giggles as he took a sharp breath. “Your sinuses are spotless now.”

“I love that burn,” he shook his head before taking a drink.

“You’re a masochist.”

“In more ways than one,” he sighed.

She tilted her head. “You don’t have to do this.”

“I do,” he disagreed. “I don’t have many people that I let close to me, but you’re one. I know we’ll never be in a relationship, because you drive me nuts and it would never work,” he pursed his lips. “But I will always take care of you.”

She nodded shyly before reaching across the table to take his hand. “I love you too.”

“Ah,” he growled before looking away angrily, to which she grinned at him.

As they left the restaurant, they decided to walk back, going around the block close to SM first.

“Yuta-ya!”

They looked up to see a fan who had followed them from the restaurant.

“Take a selca with me!”

“I can’t,” he waved. “Sorry.”

MinYeon glanced at him. Usually, a photo with a fan was a security issue. If they posted it immediately with their location, fans could find them. This time, however, they were in front of his company. What harm could it do?

“How can you hold hands with that tart? How can you fall for such a devil?”

He stopped and turned to her. “Get lost!” He flipped her off before walking off and pulling MinYeon with him.

She was in shock as she watched him. “Wow!”

“And that’s how it’s done,” he growled lowly.

“You are a badass.”

“I know this.”

“I’m kind of hot for you right now.”

“I know this too,” he nodded arrogantly.

She wove her fingers through his and leaned into him. “This is going to be way more fun than I anticipated.”

He grinned before kissing her forehead. “Good.”

#

“What the hell, Min-ah?” were the first words out of his mouth in his drunken phone call early the next morning.

“I thought this was the plan?” she sat in her studio. It was five in the morning and neither of them had apparently been to sleep.

“I hate this. I hate seeing you with other men when you should be with me.”

“I would love nothing more than to scream from the top of my lungs that I love you,” she whined. “The last I heard, I have to distance myself from you.”

“How can you let another man touch you?”

“Because you told me to,” she was on the verge of tears. “Please get some sleep. Perhaps you can understand better when you’re sober?”

“You’re like me,” he breathed heavily. “We’re ssangdungi.”

She rolled her neck, trying not to laugh at him. “We are twins, yes.”

“There’s no way I could pretend to be with a woman. You either are or you aren’t. How can you kiss him... and it not be real?”

“I can’t, Jimin-ie” she whispered.

“SeokJinnie-hyung even snipped at me and told me to stop looking up your name.”

“There are a lot of emotions involved right now. I am helping to keep fans and spies busy by following me and attention away from Big Hit and you and the other relationships. I am keeping my head off the SM chopping block. And I am offering SM a lot of free publicity… by the time we made it back to my apartment today, there had been an entire rack of designer couples clothes delivered. EXO tanked their comeback to protect me and they rewarded me and Yuta for holding hands in public. The entire situations is confusing.”

“Is it all business then?”

“I’m doing as I was told by my boyfriend and brother,” she huffed. “Why hasn’t Big Hit rescinded the order? SM can’t blacklist me if EXO leaked their own comeback.”

“I don’t know. I’m so sorry, Baby. This is fucked up.”

“Agreed.”

He sighed, followed by silence. “You know I love you, right?”

“I know,” she relaxed in her seat. “Why don’t you and Tae meet me for lunch tomorrow before you head to Genie rehearsals?”

“Meet us for hamburgers.”

“Okay. Put it in your calendar now, because you won’t remember.”

“I’ll remember.”

“Put it in your calendar,” she argued with him. “And I’ll text Tae.”

“I live with him, you know.”

“I know,” she laughed. “But you still text one another even if you’re sitting across from one another in the same room. I’ll text him.”

“Okay. See you tomorrow.”

“Get some sleep, please.”

“You too,” he hung up and passed out.

She looked back down at the song she was writing and let out a frustrated huff before turning out the lights and going to bed herself.

The next morning, MinYeon showed up for EXO’s live comeback showcase. She posted a pic with her brother and the caption, “when Oppa wears more makeup than I do.” EXO-L immediately responded.

_She was there for Chanyeol!_

_They are so in LOVE!_

_She is totally there for Kyungsoo! Did you see the way he l_ _ooks at her?_

_OH MY GOD PEOPLE! LET THE WOMAN BREATHE!_

Then, a paparazzi posted a photo of Yuta speaking to MinYeon backstage, both with huge grins on their faces. He was supporting his sunbaes before dashing off to his own concert, while she was there with her brother.

_I’m really shipping MinTa hard atm._

_I have faith in MinMin._

_Is this MinTa or YuYeon? Either way, that’s hot._

_I like KMYuta myself._

Then, she met Jimin and TaeHyung for lunch.

“You look better than I expected,” she laughed as she slid into the seat across from him, and next to TaeHyung.

“Pickled plums,” he smirked.

“I’ll get them for your birthday every year if you like them that much.”

“Right now I need a steady supply,” he chuckled as TaeHyung shook his head in shame.

“Oh, I have two tickets to the National Ballet production of ‘Mata Hari’ and MinSeok-ie can’t go.”

Jimin’s eyes darkened as he answered her. “What about your new boyfriend?”

She sighed and turned away as TaeHyung kicked him under the table.

“Nevermind. I’ll go by myself. My cousin is dancing and I really want to see her.”

“Your cousin is a ballet dancer?” TaeHyung turned his attention to her.

“For the Korean National Ballet?” Jimin changed his demeanor.

She smiled when she knew she had gotten his attention. “Kim EunJae was the youngest member to join the ballet when she was 18. We’re all very proud of her.”

“I’ll go,” he answered quickly.

“I thought you might.”

“So... Xiumin-hyung is an idol, you’re a producer and composer, cousin is a ballerina...”

“Her older brother is an artist. On my mom’s side, my cousins are electricians, pharmacists, and aerospace physicists.”

“Really?” both men spoke.

She nodded her head before sipping on her straw.

Their burgers were delivered, and they spent a moment eating before TaeHyung spoke up.

“I’m sure someone else would want to go,” Jimin began to change his mind.

“I asked. They’re busy,” she snipped.

“This is messed up,” Jimin shook his head.

“You made your opinion quite clear last night,” she warned him. “We can’t talk about it here.”

“Neither of us are happy with this.”

“But SM and Big Hit are.”

TaeHyung frowned at him, urging him to stop.

“Aish,” he swore sitting back and returning his attention to his burger.

“We need to find him a woman so he’ll be too busy to stick his nose into your business,” TaeHyung teased them both.

She flashed her eyes at him, causing him to sit back and rethink every decision he had made in his life.

“I wouldn’t mind that,” Jimin finally smiled.

She stared at her plate. “Thanks for lunch,” she nodded before grabbing her bag and walking out.

Jimin rolled his eyes and sighed.

“I’ll go…” TaeHyung pushed back from the table.

“She won’t come back,” he waved. “Just… let her go.”

“Can’t you just talk to our managers and…”

He flashed his eyes at him. “I have. They want it to be like this through the end of the year.”

“This was supposed to be easy for you.”

“It’s much too easy for her,” he hissed.

“You can’t have it both ways. If you keep telling her to do it and then angry when she does, she’s going to leave.”

“I know,” he angered at himself. “I’ll go with her to the ballet and smooth it over.”

“Hmph.”

#

MinYeon sat in her study group and read over their assignment guide as she felt eyes on her. She slowly looked up to see them staring back at her.

“Did you really do it?” DaEun asked her. “Are you dating an idol?”

“We’re just talking,” she answered slowly.

“One of your brother’s company members?” SeoYeun asked.

“Yes.”

“Why must you wear so much makeup when you go out?” HyeonWoo asked.

“That’s what he likes,” she informed them.

“What was that video of you at a restaurant with WonHo?” YeJoon piped in.

“Dinner with a friend?”

“You shouldn’t be friends with an idol while talking to another.”

“Yuta and I are the same age, we have been friends since May.”

“Then why were you holding hands?”

“I hold hands with all of my friends.”

“You are far too American in your ways to be dating a Korean Idol,” MinJae scolded her.

“I’m Korean,” she frowned.

“How long have you two been together?” DaeEun asked.

“Why is that important?”

“I think we’re finished today,” HyeonWoo gathered his things and walked off.

She went home feeling belittled and defeated, their words whirling constantly around her head. She walked in and went straight to her refrigerator and sighed to see that there was really nothing in there to eat. Her door opened as she looked up and waited.

Jimin walked in.

“What are you doing here?” she crossed her arms. “Shouldn’t you be off with your publicity team doing damage control?”

“I had a feeling I needed to check on you,” he glanced over her shoulder to see that no one else was with her.

“Thank you,” she answered quickly as he locked the door behind him. “I heard that you’ve been dropped from a few of the Japanese shows over the shirt you had on a year ago.”

“It is what it is,” he shrugged his shoulders. “Tensions are high between our countries and probably always will be. I have no regrets for celebrating our Liberation Day.”

“No fucks given,” she smirked.

He looked around and nodded before turning back to her. “Have you seen the KMYuta comments lately?”

“I’ve heard enough from my peers, I really am not seeking a mental ass-beating from the internet as well.”

“You can’t let them get to you. They’re jealous and it’s easy to be cruel when you’re not speaking directly to them.”

“They were speaking directly to me today at our group meeting,” she pouted. “Over the summer they wanted me to date an idol and now that I am I’m an Americanized harlot.”

“I’m sorry, Baby...” he sighed as he hugged her. “I’m so, so sorry.”

“It is what it is,” she repeated his words.

“What can I do?”

She looked around for a moment. “Soju?”

He burst out laughing as she walked off for a bottle and glasses. “Sure.”

He opened his eyes the next morning to the sound of his phone buzzing. MinYeon was in his arms, sleeping on his chest on the sofa. He slowly reached out for his phone and turned off the alarm.

Letting out a deep breath, he ran his fingers through her hair and decided to take a moment to enjoy the feeling of her breathing against his chest. He smiled as he watched her cheeks puff out as she breathed.

He kissed her hair and sighed before running his hand up and down her back. They talked about a lot of things last night, including their future. They came to the conclusion that even though that moment in their life was difficult, they would do the best they could to stay together. “Bbang-tteok-ie,” he whispered.

“Mmm,” she opened her eyes and looked around. She seemed confused as she sat up and took in her surroundings. “I’m sorry. Your back must be…”

“You’re fine. I just need to get ready for a shoot.”

“Okay.”

They both sat quietly and took a moment to wake up.

“Are you still planning to come to the party?”

She nodded silently. “Monsta X has been invited,” she warned him.

“Ah,” he sighed. “Okay. Get some rest. I’ll pick you up tonight for the ballet,” he leaned in and pressed his lips against hers. He closed his eyes and enjoyed the feeling of her in his arms for a moment before pulling away and forcing himself to leave.

“I’ll be ready,” she watched him leave before walking off to her bed.

#

Jimin and MinYeon took their seats at the ballet and looked around. It was nice being around people who weren’t whipping out their phones. Either they were in high-class company who didn’t listen to or follow Kpop, or they were amongst other performers and dancers who offered them space.

Either way, they were grateful.

The curtain rose and ballet began as he glanced down at the program. He was looking for MinYeon’s cousin...

MinYeon watched him with a proud smile on her face. Her passion in music matched her boyfriend’s passion for dance quite well. He was right. They were born the same month, on the same day, the same year, and were passionate about their careers. They were twins. They knew one another without speaking a word. Sometimes that was a blessing, and others a curse.

She leaned into his shoulder and whispered. “What do you think?”

“Shhh,” he pushed her away with an ornery smirk.

Yes. He loved it.

After the ballet, they went to the wrap party. They were handed glasses of champagne and turned to see EunJae walking toward them. She waved at MinYeon and smiled just before tripping over her own feet. Jimin caught her just before she fell.

“I do that all the time too. My feet get angry when I’m not dancing,” he consoled her.

“Ah... thank you,” she blushed.

“Kim EunJae, Park Jimin,” MinYeon introduced them.

They bowed to one another before a glass of champagne was handed to the ballerina.

“You were amazing tonight,” Jimin gushed over her. “I can’t imagine how long you’ve been studying to be able to dance like that.”

“I’ve been taking ballet since I was seven years old. A lot of other people are forced by their parents to practice, but I was always the one yelling at them because we were going to be late.”

“I went to school for contemporary dance, so I understand. The only way to improve is to practice.”

MinYeon looked between them for a moment. “I’m going to get a fresh glass.”

Neither answered her as she raised her eyebrows and walked off.

“You remind me of someone,” EunJae looked at him. “Have we met before?”

“No,” he looked away as his cheeks flushed. “I’m... a Kpop Idol.”

“Bangtan?” her eyes widened. “Are you the one who performed ‘Lie’ on television?”

“That’s my song,” he grinned. “I co-wrote it and did my own choreography. I wanted to express the song through dance, to tell my message as much with my body as with my vocals.”

“I love it! I don’t listen to a lot of music outside of what we perform, but I remember seeing that and being very impressed. You are so talented!”

“Wow! I’ve just been told by a National Ballerina that I’m talented!” he grinned.

They both laughed for a moment.

“So... how do you know my cousin?”

His breath caught in his throat as he smiled before speaking. “She wrote a song with a member of my group and we found out that we’re 95-liners. Our birthday is actually on the exact same day. We’ve been close ever since, along with another of my members. We love Yeon-ie…” he looked away for a moment, feeling as though he had told her too much.

“She is very lovable,” she purred. “I don’t know how she finds time to keep in touch, but she always sends gifts and calls.”

“She managed to send a box of pickled plums to me in Amsterdam for my birthday, so I get it,” he laughed.

“Wow,” she looked him over. “Thank you for coming, I am very happy to meet you.”

“You too,” he flashed his eyes at her. “Are you on Insta?”

“Yes.”

“I have a private account for close friends and family...” he pulled out his phone as they exchanged information.

When MinYeon returned, they were looking at pictures that she had posted on her personal account.

“So it’s a member of MinSeok-ie’s company?” EunJae asked.

“What?” she answered slowly.

“At Chuseok, you told us you were dating an idol and that was all you wanted to speak about it. Is it the Japanese guy? That would totally make sense.”

She didn’t want to lie to her cousin, but this was definitely not the place to discuss the truth. She raised her eyebrows as she looked at Jimin. “What did you tell her?”

“The truth,” he nodded, his eyes flicking away as he took a sip of his drink.

She raised her eyebrows. “Wow. Okay.”

“Don’t worry, your secret’s safe with me,” she hugged her.

“Thank you, JaeJae,” she glared at him over her shoulder.

MinYeon and Jimin rode together in a taxi, back to her apartment after the party. She watched him in the light from the street and sighed. She then reached across from her seat and placed her hand atop his. “Please don’t put EunJae through this.”

He sighed before looking up at her. “We just met tonight.”

“Don’t lie to me.”

“I’m not.”

“More lies.”

“I can’t sit back and watch you with other men.” The anger in his eyes scared her for a moment. “I have to keep myself busy.”

She looked away to keep from crying. “I think my summer in Germany will be a nice break for us.”

The car stopped at her apartment.

“Get some rest, Baby,” he kissed her quickly.

“You’re not coming in?”

“I can’t,” he spoke lowly. “I’m pushing it the way it is.”

“Good night, nae ssangdungi,” she forced a smile before stepping out and walking off to the entrance to the building.

He looked down at his phone as the driver asked him where he was going next. As if she knew his question, he received a message on Insta from EunJae.

EunJaeKim: We’re at a private table at Club Answer if you’d like to join us.

He licked his lips and looked up at the driver before breaking into a bright grin. “Club Answer, please.”

#

MinYeon stared at the short, tight, black dress hanging on her door and sighed. She had never wanted to skip a party as badly as she did at that moment. Especially since Jimin personally invited EunJae as well.

She was never going to make it through the night unless she began drinking immediately, so she went to retrieve a bottle of gin she had hidden for a special occasion. Tonight would be that occasion.

After a few chugs, she walked off to finish getting ready.

WonHo sat on his bed and stared at the wall. He had never wanted to go to a party less in his life, but his company had other plans… and MinYeon would be there… and he had a job to do.

“Hyung?” JooHeon peeked into his room. “Ready?”

“Ne,” he reached for his wallet and phone and followed him out the door.

They arrived in the private party room, tables lined up as the members of Bangtan greeted their guests. He actually smiled when he met eyes with YoonGi. After all, he was a friend.

They hugged briefly before stepping back to speak.

“You look well,” YoonGi spoke first.

“So do you. I hope you’re relaxing after your tour.”

“The tour’s not finished,” he laughed. “We’re already recording, preparing for next year. It never ends.”

“I agree,” he nodded his head. “We have a few shows in the US for Christmas and then the year-end shows… there’s a lot of dancing going on,” he laughed.

“MinYeon-ah!” Jimin called out as all of the men looked toward the door.

MinYeon walked in with her cousin EunJae, guests of Jimin and TaeHyung.

“Well… drink up and eat well. I’ll see you around,” he bowed before walking off.

WonHo sat across from JooHeon and KiHyun as Jackson Wang joined them.

“You look depressed, bro! Drink up!” Jackson passed him a glass of soju.

“He’s in love with KMY,” JooHeon laughed.

“Ahhhh,” he grinned at him before looking around. “Aren’t we all?”

“Right?” KiHyun hummed.

“We’re getting close…” he tilted his head. “I’ll talk to her later, once she’s greeted her friends and settled down.”

“Dude. Girls like that don’t stay single,” JooHeon raised his eyebrows. “If you have a chance in hell, I’d take it.”

He smirked as he stared at his members. If they only knew… “I think I’m good.”

“Perhaps you should step back and let me at her, then?” JooHeon grinned, his deep dimples popping out for him.

“You’re too pretty to be with her,” Jackson teased him. “The Earth would stop spinning.”

He dropped his mouth and glared at him as they all burst into laughter.

YoonGi sat next to Kim Heechul and nodded across the table to his group leader Leeteuk. They spoke for a while before he glanced over at the next table. MinYeon and Jimin were, as usual, tossing back their drinks like water as TaeHyung and EunJae spoke to one another.

“No!” Jimin laughed before flicking MinYeon on the forehead. Their entire table erupted into laughter as she glanced up to make eye contact with him.

He couldn’t help but smile. She looked like she was having fun, even though they were pretending to only be friends.

She pressed her lips together and nodded to him before tossing back another drink. She then looked around the room and made eye contact with WonHo. She was happy that he had shown up, but began to second-guess her choice to do what they had discussed.

Jimin had chosen to get to know the ballerina next to him that night. It wasn’t lost on her that she happened to look a lot like her cousin, but when Jimin pulled one of his signature moves, a chill crawled up her spine. She watched Jimin speak to her cousin for a moment longer before looking back at WonHo and nodding toward the restrooms.

She smiled and reached for her wallet before walking off. Jimin raised his eyebrows and watched her before seeing that WonHo was also watching her. He watched her walk off for a moment before turning his attention to the beautiful Kim EunJae—who happened to look a lot like her older cousin.

“Excuse me,” WonHo bowed to his friends before discreetly walking off to the restroom.

Jimin glanced up just as WonHo walked out the door. He clenched his jaw tightly and tightened his grip on his glass before downing its contents.

“Hi,” MinYeon grinned at WonHo.

He grabbed her hand and pulled her down a hallway, causing her to yelp. “Shhhh,” he laughed while leaning against a wall, snaking his hands around her waist.

“Oppa,” she whispered.

“That ass is just begging to be grabbed,” he kissed her.

“Not here.”

“Isn’t this what you wanted? To get caught together at a Bangtan event?”

“Yeah,” she sighed. “I have JaeJae with me, I need to make sure she gets home,” her gut churned as she thought about Jimin flirting with her.

“TaeHyung-ie can take her,” he ran his nose down hers while squeezing her ass and pulling her closer.

“Mmm…” she purred before kissing him.

Jimin smiled as he flirted with EunJae before he looked up to find MinYeon. He waited a moment and reached for his phone to see that he had not received a message. He again looked up and frowned before looking up at TaeHyung.

“Did MinYeon-ah come back?”

“No,” he looked around.

EunJae looked at her phone and shook her head. “She would have let me know if she left.”

“Okay, I’ll go find her,” he nodded before finishing off his drink and walking off.

He looked around for a moment before walking out to the lobby to find her sitting in a seat by herself, staring out the windows to the street.

“Min-ah?” He walked up to her.

She looked up at him. “Hi.”

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” she glanced up as WonHo returned from the restrooms.

Jimin straightened up and looked at him for a moment. “Can you please give us a moment?”

“Sure,” he spoke slowly. He then glanced at MinYeon.

She pursed her lips together and nodded to him as he shook his head and walked away. So much for Jimin not being jealous.

“You were going to leave with him?” He hissed.

“I thought that was the plan,” she crossed her arms.

“What about your cousin?”

“In order to be seen with someone, some feathers need to be ruffled so that people are watching. There’s no sense in doing this if it won’t be seen,” she looked up at him.

“Aish,” he threw his head back dramatically. “I don’t like it.”

“I’m doing as I was told.”

“I know. I know! I still don’t like it. The thought of his hands on you…”

“You are so confusing,” she looked away as she blinked a few times.

“Please don’t cry…”

She looked up at him and raised her eyebrows. “What?”

“I know it’s frustrating…”

“Frustrating?” She pushed away. “Frustrating?”

He sat down and leaned his arms across his knees, pressing his hands together. “Min-ah…”

“I’m protecting your hyungs so they can be with their women, and I’m protecting my brother. I’m protecting you, so you can apparently flirt with my cousin in front of me— and I can’t cry in front of you?”

“Baby, you’re drunk…” he whined.

“Right,” she grabbed her wallet and walked out of the building.

“Fuck me,” he growled before following her. “Min-ah!” He ran after her.

“Leave me alone,” she cried. “Just… go.”

“I cannot let you walk around in Gangnam, by yourself, looking like a meal,” he smirked.

She stopped and turned to glare at him. “You are confounding.”

He wrapped his arms around her shoulders and hugged her. “I know,” he kissed her cheek. “You’re not the only one who has trouble making up their mind.”

“I’ve made up my mind,” she pushed away from him. “I’m moving back to LA.”

“You can’t do that,” he watched her walk away.

“I absolutely can,” she nodded drunkenly.

He rested his hands on his hips and took a few deep breaths before running after her again. “If I take you home, can we calm down and talk?”

“You do whatever the fuck you want,” she smirked.

He stopped and pushed her against the building, looking down into her eyes. “You are insane,” he growled.

“I get that a lot,” she pouted.

He smiled at her. “I love you, but you need to sober up before you make me do something we both regret.”

Her mouth opened as a sharp breath left her chest.

“Thank you for your silence,” his shoulders shook as he laughed at her.

“You’re an ass,” she smacked him.

“Ow!” he grabbed her wrist.

“I’ll be fine on my own.”

“You don’t have to be alone,” he whispered. “You’ll do stupid shit if you’re alone.”

“I’ll do stupid shit if I’m with you, too.”

“If it all balances out, there’s no reason to be alone,” he brushed his nose down hers.

“Jimin-ah…” she whispered. “Please take me home.”

“Okay,” he grabbed her hand and led the way.

TaeHyung felt his phone vibrate and read the text he received from Jimin. He raised his eyebrows and looked up at EunJae. “It looks like MinYeon-ah had a meltdown over a group project and Jimin-ie took her home.”

“Ah,” she sighed. “Yeah, she mentioned something about that earlier.”

“They’ll probably spend the rest of the night watching anime and drinking,” he pouted.

“Is that their thing?” She laughed.

“Pretty much, yeah.”

“Okay. I’ll call a cab. Thank you, TaeHyung-ssi.”

He nodded before looking around. “Would you like me to walk you out?”

“Yes please.”

“Okay,” he repeated before replying.

WonHo too received a text and let out a long sigh. “She remembered that she had a project and had to leave. Jimin took her home,” he read aloud.

“Since when do you have texting privileges with the pretty producer?” KiHyun spat.

“I told you… we’re getting close,” he smirked before downing his drink.

The two stepped off of the elevator of MinYeon’s building as Jimin looked back at his phone. “TaeHyung-ie’s called a cab for EunJae.”

She glanced over her shoulder at him before scoffing.

“What now?”

“What would you have done if I left with him?” She opened the door and led him in.

He raised his eyebrows before looking away.

“Seriously? That would have been great at Seollal,” she raised her voice.

He huffed as he reached into the refrigerator for a bottle of soju.

She pulled her hair over her shoulder and turned around. “Unzip me.”

“Damn it,” he mumbled under his breath before setting the bottle aside and obeying.

She let go an excited sigh before leaning back into him.

“I have an idea,” he spoke into her neck while wrapping his arms around her waist.

“What?” She stared at the floor.

“Let’s plan a trip with the 95-Liners. Jeju’s quiet this time of year. We can rent a house and just… do whatever the fuck we want. What happens there, stays there.”

She spun around and stared at him. “What about right now?”

“Oh, I’m about to fuck you silly,” he growled. “But there… it won’t matter. Nothing will matter.”

“So it’s okay if you share me with our friends, but I can’t choose who I want to fuck. Sounds legit.”

“You really want to fuck him that badly? You know where he is!” He yelled before storming off to the bedroom.

She rolled her neck and sighed before following him. “I thought we were supposed to be distancing ourselves?”

“We should…” he raised his sad eyes to hers. “I know you set everything up tonight to look like you met your secret boyfriend at the party. It was perfect,” he shook his head. “I just can’t fucking stand to see you with another man. I’m the one who’s going to fuck this up,” he scolded himself.

“Aish,” she pulled away and walked to the balcony.

He let out a breath and threw his head back to stare at the ceiling. “What are you doing?” He called out to her. When he didn’t hear a response, he walked out.

“Min-ah?” He walked out to see her on the balcony, squatting with her arms wrapped around her knees. He slid open the door and walked out to squat beside her.

“Just go,” she whispered.

“I’m sorry.”

She didn’t answer as she continued to stare out at the city.

“I know how you…”

“You have no idea what I feel,” she answered lowly.

He watched her for a moment. “You’re right. I’ve never had to pretend to be with someone before. And I’ve never had to pretend to not be with someone before. And to have to do both at the same time has to be exhausting and confusing.”

She rolled her eyes, but still didn’t respond.

“I haven’t seen you smile… a truly happy smile… since the night before you found out about Jordan.”

“You don’t need to worry about me. I’m sorry I was so mean tonight.”

He felt tears threatening to breach as he rolled his eyes. “You’re my twin. I will always be here for you. It’s not a responsibility, it’s an honor to share my life with you.”

“Too much,” she sighed as she looked away.

He couldn’t help but smile at her. “You’re cute when you don’t want to show your emotions.”

“So are you,” she finally turned back to him.

“I’m all yours tonight. I’m not leaving you like this, so stop trying to push me away.”

She nodded silently before rising up and again looking out at the view. He walked back into the apartment and into her bathroom where he cleaned his face, combed the hairspray out of his hair, and changed into one of his hoodies and a pair of shorts he had left.

When she reentered the bedroom, he was sitting against the pillows with his arms out, waiting. She sighed before walking off to clean up and change as well. Moments later, she climbed into his lap, draping her legs over his thigh, and resting her cheek against his chest.

“Much better,” he kissed her hair while relaxing back and wrapping her up in his arms.

“Thank you,” she finally smiled.

He smirked at her. “Thirty minutes ago we looked like we could be on the cover of ‘Dazed’ and now we look like fat college students.”

“I like you better without makeup.”

“Really? Why? My fat cheeks?”

She laughed at him. “I don’t love Bangtan Jimin. I love Park Jimin.”

He looked around in thought for a moment. “I have more confidence with eyeliner.”

“No you don’t,” she laughed at him. “You have more confidence when you’re happy.”

“That is true for you as well,” he nodded. “We need to make you happy.”

She rolled her eyes around in thought. “Shopping makes me happy.”

“Neither of us has time for that. I’ll bring you something back from Japan.”

“Okay.”

They both felt her pocket vibrate. She pulled it from her pants and read a message from Yoon JeongHan.

CoffeeLUVrrr: Hey beautiful, what’s up?

Jimin raised his eyebrows. “Seriously? Why is he messaging you?”

“We’re friends,” she spoke slowly.

“It never fucking ends.”

MinMandooo: Stressing out over stupid shit. You?

“Are you that close to him?” He complained.

“Of course I am,” she laughed. “I cooked for him for his birthday. I made seaweed soup and everything."

“You didn’t do that for me.”

“We have yet to be together on our birthday,” she glared at him. “Or an anniversary. Or a couple holiday.”

CoffeeLUVrrr: I had a feeling I needed to text you. Are you okay?

She raised her eyebrows and looked up at Jimin. “Am I okay?”

“You are so not okay,” he complained.

“Why are you so jealous of JeongHan? He’s actually a guy I am not currently fucking.”

“The only difference between him and me is that his birthday is nine days earlier.”

“Why are you comparing yourself to him?”

“Aish,” he looked away.

MinMandooo: I had a bad night, but I’m better now. Thank you for checking on me.

“You need to stop texting him and pay attention to me,” he complained.

“Oh my God!” She giggled. “You are so bad!”

“You’re jealous of EunJae, I’m jealous of JeongHan and WonHo and Yuta,” he growled.

“I’m not jealous of EJ, she wants what I’ve already had,” she purred lowly.

“Okay, text him back and tell him we’re meeting in Jeju.”

She raised her eyebrows before looking back down at her phone and typing.

MinMandooo: ChimChim and I are gathering the 95ers in Jeju in a few weeks.

CoffeeLUVrrr: I’m in. Will there be rules?

“He went there quicker than I expected,” Jimin laughed.

“Wow. Um… no rules. That can be dangerous with Libras,” she looked up at him.

“Exactly.”

She stared at him for a moment before licking her lips and replying.

MinMandooo: What happens in Jeju goes with us to the grave.

CoffeeLUVrrr: That’s hot.

“Yes it is,” she purred.

He shook his head before letting out a breath. “We renewed our contracts. We’re staying together.”

“What made you change your mind?”

“My thinking has changed, I think. YoonGi-hyung’s stomach isn’t as bad as it was. NamJoon and Seouli are happy again. Everyone seems to be in a better place lately. It just seemed right, and… Hobi-hyung nearly broke down begging us not to break up. It was emotional.”

“Ah,” she hummed. “Your emotions have changed a lot since we started working on your song. It began very dark, but is very light and warm now.”

“It’s been a process,” he agreed. “Getting emotions out isn’t easy.”

“You should read my lyric files. It’s like a journal,” she laughed. “My head gets so full sometimes, I need to get it all out. It really does help.”

“Maybe I should give it a try?”

“Of course,” she looked up at him. “I love you.”

He brushed his thumb down her cheek and sighed. “I love you too, Baby.”

“How are we going to obey your company?” she worried.

“I have no idea,” he kissed her.

#

BTS walked into the venue from the red carpet and immediately looked around at the other acts who were mingling. Jimin glanced over toward Sehun and sighed when he saw MinYeon standing with him while speaking with WonHo and MinHyuk from Monsta X.

“Of course,” he mumbled.

“Good luck,” MinYeon waved to them as KiHyun glanced over at the Cosmic Girls and nodded. She then turned to SeHun. “I see my friends. I’ll go say hello and then find my seat.”

“Good luck,” he smiled at her.

“You too, Oppa,” she bowed before walking off.

TaeHyung followed his line of vision and nodded. “It’s just going to get worse, hyung. She’s getting busier by the day. Everyone wants to work with her.”

“I don’t have to like it,” he looked away.

“Jimin-ssi!”

He looked up to see JeongHan and S.Coups from Seventeen as Joshua followed.

“My friends,” he grinned while greeting each of them.

“Are we still on?” JeongHan asked lowly.

“Yes,” he glanced around discreetly. “TaeHyung-ie has plans already, but it looks like there will be nine of us.”

“I am so jealous,” Joshua shook his head. “Schedules suck.”

“I’ll have to teach you how to get it changed,” JeongHan nodded arrogantly. “What about MinYeon-ah?”

Jimin’s mood suddenly changed as he rolled his eyes. “The last text I got from her was that she and Jisoo were flying in together. The NCT guys are hopping on a plane between comeback stages. Yuta says sleep is overrated.”

They looked up as Mamamoo walked by. They all bowed to them as Hwasa broke away briefly.

“My schedule changed, I can’t go,” she spoke while waving and bowing. “Tell MinYeon-ah to call me!”

They bowed and smiled back to her.

“Next time!” JeongHan grinned.

Jimin suddenly felt a tug at his left pinky and looked down to see someone pulling off one of his rings.

“And I’m keeping that for collateral,” MinYeon purred before sliding it onto her third finger.

“Hey!” He squeaked in laughter as she scurried away. “What do I need to do to get that back?” He called after her.

“Answer your damned texts,” she waved while joining NaYeon.

Jimin discreetly pulled his phone out and scanned the notification.

MinMandooo: What are the plans?

His eyes widened as he looked after her. He had been so focused on watching her speak with other men he failed to notice that she was trying to speak to him.

After the show, of which they all won, Jimin met MinYeon to retrieve his ring. He walked up to her and held out his hand, waiting for the return of his ring.

“And?” She waited.

“Plans are set,” he nodded. “I was distracted and didn’t realize you texted.”

She looked away, her face masking the disappointment and hurt she felt. He didn’t exactly tell her he was distracted by her.

“We’re meeting at Why Not later. Come out with us.”

“Who is ‘we’?”

“95ers. Us.”

She nodded while placing his ring in his hand.

“Don’t make me come get you,” he warned her.

“I’ll be there,” she met his eyes before walking away.

He slid the ring back onto his finger as he turned to find KiHyun speaking with Bona of the Cosmic Girls. He raised his eyebrows and looked away before rejoining his members.

#

“Cheers!”

Jimin, Joshua, SeolHyun, Song, and JeongHan tipped their heads back, drinking down the peach flavored soju they had ordered as Hwasa and WheeIn joined them.

“Hi!” TaeHyung greeted them while looking past them.

“She got a ride with Bona and Exy,” Hwasa laughed at him.

“Okay, just making sure,” he grinned at them.

“There’s my Bbang-tteok!” JeongHan belted as the three ladies stepped into the private room.

“Wow!” MinYeon looked around at everyone.

“I need a drink!” Exy exclaimed as she was greeted by WheeIn.

“MinYeon-ah reminded us why she isn’t an idol the entire way here!” Bona giggled.

“She knows deep down she should be our fifth member,” Hwasa handed her a glass.

“Aish, watch your mouth,” she slid in next to her.

“That’s thirteen…” Bobby counted. “There were fourteen of us at the show…”

“Jisoo-yah has a schedule tomorrow,” Exy spoke up.

“So who’s all going?” SeolHyun looked around.

MinYeon raised her hand while pouring a glass with the other. Jimin followed casually as JeongHan glanced around the table.

“Jisoo and I are flying in together,” MinYeon informed her.

“And Johnny, Yuta, and TaeYong,” JeongHan counted on his fingers.

“We’re the only females?” MinYeon’s eyes widened.

“Kei isn’t responding, but said she was coming,” Jimin glanced at his phone.

“Sorry,” Hwasa leaned against MinYeon. “Although I’m not sure you mind much.”

She nearly spat out her drink as she threw her hand over her mouth.

“Shall I send you with ice packs?” WheeIn followed as Joshua burst into laughter.

“I heard that!” Song pointed to them.

“What happens there is taken to the grave,” JeongHan reminded them. “Once we return, it never existed.”

“What the fuck are you planning?” MinYeon cursed at him as everyone burst into laughter.

“And the boyfriend approves?” Bona turned to her.

“I have no boyfriend,” she answered back.

“You’re not messing around with Hoseok-ie-oppa?” She smirked.

“What has your boyfriend told you?”

“What boyfriend?” they went back and forth.

“We all know you’re seeing KiHyun-ie,” WheeIn grumbled lowly.

“You’re mistaken,” she took a drink of soju.

“Mmm hmm,” MinYeon glared at her. “This is how rumors get started.”

“Ladies…” JeongHan waved his hands. “Do we really want this conversation to escalate?”

All of the women at the table turned on him and silently stared him down.

“Oh shit,” TaeHyung’s eyes widened.

“You have no idea what is going to happen there,” Jimin informed Bona politely. “This… is all talk. If you don’t go, you’ll never know what happened.”

“What… you won’t even tell us?” S.Coups asked.

“Which part of this are you having difficulty in comprehending?” JeongHan asked them.

TaeHyung’s eyes widened as he looked away, the savageness of his friend surprising him.

MinYeon met Jimin’s eyes briefly before glancing over at JeongHan, who was in turn watching her.

“I can’t imagine the three of you letting loose,” Joshua glanced up at his group member. “I don’t think I want to know.”

“Why us?” He pushed his shoulder.

“The Libras?” WheeIn tilted her head. “You three are dangerous.”

“All lies,” MinYeon rolled her eyes.

“Right,” TaeHyung glanced at Jimin. “Lies.”

“Ooh, I need to go. Bye!” Bona read a text.

MinYeon raised her eyebrows and turned to her.

“He is finished packing and has time,” she leaned in and whispered. “I can drop you off at the dorm.”

“I’m good,” she whispered back.

“Later!” She dashed off.

“Ah,” MinYeon lifted her glass. “Getcha some, girl,” she spoke in English before again tipping back her head.

Jimin watched her closely before looking away.

“Who all is going to Melon?” WheeIn changed the subject.

TaeHyung’s eyes widened in mock surprise before raising his hand.

“Us,” Bobby followed.

They all turned to MinYeon.

“The only award a song of mine was up for didn’t win,” she shrugged her shoulders. “Besides, Chan-ie-oppa’s premier is that night.”

“Your dates are even scheduled,” Hwasa shook her head. “I hope the sex is worth it.”

She rolled her eyes and sighed. “I’m not sleeping with him!” Her eyes sparkled in the dim light. “I’m going with Kyungsoo-ya-oppa.”

“Ah EXO Princess duties,” Bobby popped off.

“I feel attacked right now,” she growled.

She could feel Jimin and TaeHyung’s glares on her and smiled. “Just read the Twitter threads, they seem to know all about it.”

“I’m sorry, sister,” WheeIn hugged her. “That’s the part that sucks.”

“Yeah,” she nodded sadly. “That part.”

Jimin thought things over for a moment. WonHo was leaving for Los Angeles. Her brother was in Hawai’i. Most of BigBang was still in the army. NCT was in the middle of their second comeback in two months. Heize, Twice, Seventeen, Cosmic Girls, BlackPink, Mamamoo, Hannah, and BTS were all rehearsing for end of the year shows. CL was still in LA. Jessi was on tour in Europe. “Fuck,” he sighed as he rolled his eyes to TaeHyung. “She’s alone,” he whispered.

She glanced up at them before returning to a conversation she was having with S.Coups.

His phone buzzed and he immediately looked down to see that EunJae had texted him. MinYeon saw the act from the corner of her eye and saddened. She remembered a time when he used to answer her texts that quickly. Apparently she was no longer as important as her cousin.

Her phone buzzed and she saw that WonHo had texted her. She raised her eyebrows and quickly read the note.

TheOtherHoseok: I’m finished packing. Can you meet me somewhere?

She stared at the words, trying to decide what to do. She could stay there and get drunk while pretending the entire time that her boyfriend wasn’t sitting right across the table and texting her cousin. Or, she could leave, stop taking a beating to her ego, and numb her mind for an hour or two.

MinMandooo: I’m at Why Not.

TheOtherHoseok: I’m on my way.

She nodded her head and slid her phone into her purse before turning to Hwasa. “I need to use the restroom.”

“Let’s go then!” she took her hand as they left the table together.

“What was that?” Jimin asked TaeHyung-ie.

“I don’t know, ask her,” he whined.

He watched him for a moment. “Ahhh, I’m sorry. We’re really bad at this.”

“Yes. You are.”

“You’re quiet tonight,” JeongHan watched Jimin. “Girl problems?”

“Nope. Got a new one,” he smirked.

“Then why are you here?”

“She’s working.”

“Oooh. What does she do?”

“Ballerina,” TaeHyung bit his lip, yet smiled anyway. “She’s cute.”

He tilted his head as he watched him before turning toward the door. He then frowned before looking back at him. “Seriously?”’

He rolled his eyes before nodding his head.

“Oh, it’s on now,” he grinned brightly before looking up to see Hwasa return to the table alone.

“Squishy’s not feel well, she grabbed a taxi home,” she announced to the table.

“Not feeling well?” Jimin worried over his girlfriend.

“Yeah, she took some medicine that she chewed and then left,” she shrugged her shoulders.

“Fuck,” he sighed as he turned to TaeHyung.

Meanwhile, MinYeon dashed out to the street and slipped into the car. She leaned across the console and kissed him.

“Cherries,” he smirked at her.

“Yeah,” she sighed. Her stomach calming medications tasted like cherries.

“So…”

“My place,” she smiled at him. “We can go to my place tonight.”

He raised his eyebrows as he watched her. “You’re sure?”

Her boyfriend was fucking her cousin. She no longer cared who she had in her bed, or feared being with another man when he walked in. Chances are he wouldn’t be anywhere near her apartment that night anyway. “I am positive.”

He nodded before taking off and heading to her apartment.

#

WonHo followed MinYeon into her apartment and dropped his keys onto the bar before walking up behind her and wrapping his arms around her.

“Congratulations on your award tonight,” he kissed her neck.

“You too,” she smiled as he sucked on her skin.

“I wanted to grab your ass so damn bad,” he smiled against her shoulder as she pushed back into him.

“I knew you were checking me out,” she teased him.

“Of course I was, you’re hot,” he nibbled on her ear. “You have no idea what you do to me, do you?”

“I have an idea,” she closed her eyes as he ran his hands under her skirt, caressing her soft skin.

“You don’t have a clue,” he growled, his chest rumbling against her back as he brushed one hand across her belly while sliding his fingertips over her panties, between her thighs. “I want to be on you like a shadow. All you have to do is say the word and I’ll follow you anywhere.”

She threw her head back against his shoulder and he rubbed tiny circles against her.

“You don’t have to love me, I don’t care about the emotional stuff,” he slipped his fingers underneath her silky panties and continued to rub. “Just tell me what you want.”

She turned to face him and stared into his eyes before bringing her hand up to weave into the side of his hair. “Fuck me until I’m numb,” she whispered. She was tired of hurting. She was worn out from this emotional rollercoaster. She wanted to just not care for a moment.

“That’s different,” he ran his nose down hers. “You want me to be your alcohol?”

“That’s exactly what I want.”

“I’m your man,” he growled as he rested his hands against the small of her back and pulled her into his frame before slipping his tongue past her lips.

“You smell so good,” he moved his kisses down her jaw to her ear.

“Mmmm,” she moaned as he pushed his growing erection against her.

He pulled her dress up around her hips and dug his fingertips into her skin, pulling down her panties as she stepped out of them for him. He then picked her up as she wrapped her legs around him and turned to place her on the dining table. She reached for the belt of his pants, but he pushed her hands away and did it himself before sliding on a condom and quickly pushing his way inside her.

She could hardly breathe from the intensity of his passion as he dug his fingers into the soft flesh of her backside.

“Oh!” she wrapped her legs around him as he pulled her hips closer to him.

The feet of the table scooted across the floor in time with their thrustsg, the grinding sound vibrating through her as she held on for dear life.

“You feel so good,” he moaned.

“Oh God, harder!” she squealed as he quickly obeyed. “Oh yes!”

“That’s it, baby!”

“Oh!” she tightened her legs around him. “Oh!” she repeated as she followed with her arms around his neck.

“Ah!” they both yelled out as their bodies exploded wildly together, the pounding of the furniture halting.

She smiled as she rested her dampened forehead against his.

“I hope your downstairs neighbors didn’t plan on sleeping tonight,” he panted as he kicked out of his pants.

“I really don’t give a fuck,” she purred.

“C’mon,” he gathered her up in his arms and whisked her off to her bed.


	9. DECEMBER – DO I DESERVE YOUR LOVE?

MinYeon woke up and immediately grabbed her phone. As usual, there was no text from the one person she was most interested in hearing from.

MinMandooo: Good morning.

MinMandooo: You’re probably busy preparing for Melon.

MinMandooo: Good luck tonight.

MinMandooo: I miss you.

She didn’t know why she was so sad that he didn’t respond, it had become normal for him to ignore her. If he was texting someone, it clearly wasn’t her.

She stretched out her arms and sighed as her phone buzzed.

TheOtherHoseok: Good morning.

She stared at it for a moment before replying.

MinMandooo: Where are you this morning?

TheOtherHoseok: We are in LA.

TheOtherHoseok: We played Jingle Ball tonight.

TheOtherHoseok: Leaving for San Francisco in the morning.

MinMandooo: Ah. Enjoy the sun.

TheOtherHoseok: I may or may not have mentioned your name in an interview.

MinMandooo: What?

TheOtherHoseok: Can you chat?

She sat up and ran her fingers through her hair before pressing the button for a video chat.

“Good morning,” he chirped.

“Look at that, no makeup,” she teased him.

“I see that,” he smiled at her. “Beautiful as usual.”

“Ah,” she looked away.

“So.”

“So.”

“Well… we were being interviewed. And we were supposed to answer very quickly, like a word association thing.”

“Okay,” she spoke slowly.

“I was asked who my dream girl was… and I may or may not have said… KMY.”

“What?!” She yelped as she threw her hand over her mouth.

“Head’s up on that,” he hummed.

“What the hell?” She threw her head back in laughter. “As if I don’t have enough rumors.”

“I know. I’m sorry. It slipped out.”

She shook her head and smiled at him. “It’s okay. If that’s the biggest scandal of the day, it will be a good day.”

“I’m so sorry,” he lied.

“It really is fine. I need to get ready, though. I’m getting my hair done for a premier tonight.”

“As if you don’t already look beautiful,” he sighed. “Okay. Have a good day.”

“Have a good night,” she smiled before ending the call.

She returned a few hours later to find scratches on her door. She slowly opened the door and looked around, afraid that someone had tried to break into her apartment.

After a call to her brother, she texted her boyfriend.

MinMandooo: Someone tried to break in.

MinMandooo: We installed a camera in the studio.

MinMandooo: I will send you the information for remote login.

Lucky13: Got it. Love you Baby.

She angered as she read his first response in days. “I’m fine, thanks,” she threw her phone onto the bed and walked off to dress into a black sweater, leather skirt, boots, and a Burberry shawl. She then took a selca and sent it to him.

There was no response.

Minion_95: Good luck tonight.

Minion_95: I love you.

She slid into the passenger side of Chanyeol’s SUV and kissed his cheek.

“What’s wrong?” He immediately asked.

“Bad day.”

“Talk to me,” he drove off.

“I can’t. I’ll end up crying and ruin my makeup.”

“That bad?”

She nodded her head silently.

“You look beautiful.”

“Thank you.”

He drove through traffic for a moment. “I think the heat from SM has died down. There’s been mention of you and Yuta a lot lately.”

“Good,” she rolled her eyes out to the city and stared out the window. “Maybe my actual boyfriend will start answering my texts again.”

He sighed as he focused on the road. “Are you packed for tomorrow?”

“I need to sneak into Oppa’s room and steal his sunscreen,” she reminded him.

“Already done,” he reached into the console and pulled out a bottle of sunscreen for her.

“You’re an amazing big brother,” she clapped her hands together. “Thank you.”

He nodded shyly as they continued on.

She smiled and waved for the cameras, her arm draped around Chanyeol—never holding hands. She didn’t need any more rumors then she already had.

“Yeon-ie!”

She turned to see Kyungsoo walking toward her and grinned before hugging him tightly.

“Oppa,” she always felt safe in his arms.

“How are you handling all of this?” he whispered.

“I’m good,” she lied.

He looked down at her and frowned. “You can’t lie to me.”

“It’s not a lie. I will… survive,” she nodded as the three walked off into the theatre.

Jimin sat in the chair, the stylist working on his hair as he swiped through Dispatch photos covering the premier.

“KMY and EXO’s Chanyeol…” he read aloud. “Fuck me,” he looked around the room, feeling as though he were being sucked down into a whirlpool.

“Finished,” the stylist patted his shoulder.

“Thank you,” he bowed before walking down to the dressing room. He found NamJoon going through his wardrobe and walked up to him. “Hyung.”

“Yes?” he glanced over at him.

“We need a new idea. I can’t handle watching her with other guys.”

“You’ve been on Dispatch again,” he sighed.

“I’m dying. I’m starting to push her away and she’s only doing this for us.”

“She’s not with Chanyeol, or any member of EXO. You know that. Can’t you just get through the night?”

“It’s not just EXO! Look at the photos! She went to Music Core to support NCT 127 and she and Yuta were caught holding hands! Then he kissed her cheek at a restaurant! They’re not acting! I can’t lose her!”

“I’ll… discuss it.”

“Thank you.”

He watched him. “When’s the last time you actually spent time with her?”

“It’s been weeks. Nearly a month.”

He raised his eyebrows. “Seriously? Wow.”

“If I ghost her any longer… she will leave and I will never see her again if that happens. That’s an unforgivable sin.”

“Okay. I’ll see what I can do.”

“Thank you.”

#

After the season premiere episode was shown, there was a question and answer session with the cast. Following a reception, Chanyeol took her home.

He looked over to see her watching BTS perform on her phone.

“Good?”

“Yes. I love watching them perform. Jimin-ie is amazing.”

“They are good,” he admitted.

She sighed and put her phone into her bag.

“Is there anywhere you want to go before I take you home?”

“No.”

“Have you been eating well?”

“The past few months, food hasn’t been agreeing with me.”

“Are you ill?”

“I don’t know. My doctor is at a loss as well.”

“Are you… depressed?”

“Possibly.”

“Should I call…”

“No,” she reached for his hand. “Thank you.”

“Would you like to go to the dorm and see if anyone is there?”

“Sure,” she smiled at him.

“Okay,” he nodded before turning a corner and heading in that direction.

When they arrived, there was not a single other member there.

“Okay then…. Plan two. I’ll order food.”

“You are determined to take care of me,” she rolled her eyes.

“That’s what big brothers do,” he nodded.

She raised her eyebrows as she stared at him for a moment. “Okay.”

“Why don’t you go steal some comfy clothes from your brother’s closet and meet me in my room?”

“I’ll meet you there.”

She was waiting on his bed, her knees pulled up to her chest while staring off into space as he arrived with food.

“Do you want to watch the rest of MMAs?”

She pulled her phone out and looked down at her dozens of unanswered texts. “Ani.”

“Do you want to talk about your bad day?”

She sighed as she closed her eyes. “Someone broke into my apartment. I called Oppa and we had the building manager change the gate code and the elevator code. We put up cameras in my studio.” She blinked her eyes and looked up at him. “I sent Jimin-ie the information and he really didn’t seem to care,” her lip trembled.

“I’m sure he was busy getting ready for tonight.”

“He went to the fucking Billboards and managed to text me like crazy,” she wiped a tear from her cheek. “This is the longest I’ve ever gone without talking to him and it hurts because… I didn’t want to do this. I never wanted to date other men.”

“I wish I could help you, Yeon-ah.”

“Just listening helps. Thank you.”

Jimin snuck off to MinYeon’s apartment after the show and couldn’t get past the gate. He entered the code over and over until he finally gave up.

Lucky13: I’m here, baby. Buzz me up.

He waited a few minutes, looking around self-consciously while waiting for her to answer.

Lucky13: Has the gate code been changed?

His heart pounded against his chest as the texts were left unread. Was she still out with Chanyeol? Was she finally angry enough to stop replying? He sighed as he switched out to call her, only for her phone to go straight to voicemail.

“Well shit,” Chanyeol dropped his phone. “No one is coming back to the dorm tonight.”

She threw her head back in laughter. “We would have paid for that to happen last summer.”

“True,” he burst into a grin.

She watched him for a moment. “Do you mind if I stay? I’m… really tired of being alone.”

“I’m your teddy bear,” he held his arms out as she snuggled up to him.

“Thank you.”

“Any time, baby,” he kissed her head. “Any time.”

#

MinYeon opened the door and looked into the house as Jisoo peeked over her shoulder. She kept reminding herself that only one person other than Jimin knew of the situation. She had to pretend that she wasn’t with him. She had to act as if everything was okay. She had to pretend that her boyfriend hadn’t been ghosting her and put on that mask she was so used to faking. “Anneyong?”

“The women have arrived!” Johnny walked out of the kitchen with his arms wide open.

“Hey sexy,” MinYeon purred in English before giving him a hug.

“Hey Squishy,” he grinned.

She rolled her eyes up at him and shook her head.

“Minion!” TaeYong ran out to hug her.

“And Jisoo,” she mumbled.

“Irasshaimase!” Yuta welcomed them in Japanese.

“Tomoyo arigatō,” MinYeon hugged him as he picked her up and grinned.

“Jisoo,” Johnny hugged her.

“Hi,” she glanced up at TaeYong.

“Hey,” he nodded to her.

“Hey,” she sighed.

“Are you two fighting?” MinYeon looked between them.

“He called me fat,” she flashed her eyes at him.

“No I didn’t, I would never call you fat,” he argued.

“You looked at the cookie in my hand and then announced that you don’t like sweets, only salad,” she crossed her arms.

Johnny and Yuta stepped back. “Huh?”

“I see,” MinYeon looked between them. “Tyong,” she turned to him. “How would your noona react if you told her to eat a salad?”

His eyes widened. “Noona would smack me… ahhhhhh,” he knelt down into a formal bow. “I’m very sorry, Jisoo-ssi.”

She stood in complete shock as she watched him. “I forgive you,” she spoke slowly.

“Awesome,” MinYeon looked around. “Rooms?”

“We picked the one with two beds,” Johnny smirked at her. “Look at you, peacemaker. You trying to get into heaven or something?”

“Always,” she walked off to pick a room.

“I still see through to that evil core,” he watched her ass as she walked away. “It’s hot, by the way.”

“I’m aware,” she walked into the room with a huge king-sized futon and sat on the edge.

“Mmm,” he hummed before turning back to his group members. “That’s why I’m here.”

“We know,” they laughed at him.

“Where’s my Bbang-tteok?!” JeongHan’s voice echoed through the house as the door burst open.

“Oh yeah, that’ll turn her on,” Jimin snickered as he followed him in.

“MinMochi! Where you at?” He pulled his suitcase behind him and walked into the bedroom. “Ah!”

“You are insane,” she watched him.

“Agreed!” He jumped onto the futon behind her.

Jimin looked into the first room to see Jisoo on her phone. “Nope! No phones!”

“I wasn’t aware that we started yet.”

“We’re all here,” he pulled her phone out of her hands. “That’s the only rule.”

“Fine,” she sighed before looking him over. “You do fill out a pair of jeans nicely.”

“Kim Jisoo, are you hitting on me?” He flirted with her.

“Is it working?” She flashed her eyes at him.

“Of course.”

“Awesome.”

He winked at her before walking off to peek into the next room.

“Have you checked out the hot tub yet?” He heard JeongHan’s voice.

“No, this is as far as I’ve gotten,” MinYeon followed as his body jolted to life.

“What a crime,” he growled.

“I forgot to ask Tyong if he got the food,” she spoke while looking up to see Jimin in the doorway.

“Food will be very important tonight,” Jimin looked around the room. “Libra Club?”

“Libra Club,” she glanced over her shoulder at JeongHan. “Sounds like fun.”

“I’m down,” he grinned.

“So…” Johnny appeared in the doorway. “Who was in charge of the alcohol?”

“You were,” all three spoke.

“Shit,” he scratched his head. “Okay, so… I’m going to go into town. Don’t start without me.”

“Start what?” MinYeon laughed.

“Whatever you three horny devils are planning,” he pointed between them. “Shit. Okay. I’ll be back.”

“Idiot,” Jimin laughed as he plopped onto the futon. “Ooh. Soft.”

“Tell me more about the hot tub,” MinYeon turned to JeongHan.

“No bathing suits allowed,” his eyes widened in emphasis.

“What a coincidence. I didn’t bring one.”

“It’s like we share a brain,” he sighed contently.

Jimin flashed his eyes at him and frowned.

“Someone needs to help me open the hot tub!” Jisoo called out.

“Crap,” JeongHan complained before crawling off the bed and dashing off.

MinYeon smiled before turning back to Jimin. “Hi.”

“Hi,” he rested his cheek against her shoulder. “Did TaeHyung-ie send you pictures?”

“The Yeontan photo shoot?” she cooed. “He is so cute, I just can’t stand it.”

“He is ridiculously cute,” he agreed.

“Yeontan,” she giggled. “No wonder he didn’t come. I would have chosen quality puppy time over you, too.”

“Hey,” he pulled her into his arms. “I’m much cuter.”

“You’re my rice cake,” she smiled as her eyes fell to his lips.

He licked his bottom lips as his eyes, too, fell to her perfect heart-shaped mouth.

“Aish,” she sighed as she turned away.

“I know,” he whispered. “I’m…”

“You’re sorry. I know. You’re always sorry,” she pulled away.

“Can we just relax and have fun?”

“Good idea,” she walked to the door.

“Wait…”

“You have to share me tonight.”

“Aish,” he threw his head back dramatically and closed his eyes.

“You want to play the game? Welcome to the party,” she walked out and toward patio.

He took a moment to compose himself before walking through the house and out to the back patio. JeongHan, Jisoo, and Yuta were in the hot tub, laughing and listening to music. He stretched his neck out and sighed as he heard MinYeon and TaeYong in the kitchen.

“She did not!” she giggled. “Oooh, that bitch is just ASKING for it.”

“She doesn’t like me and… I really don’t care. You don’t need to get wrapped up in this.”

“She made fun of you in a language you don’t fully understand while sitting at the same table. That wasn’t only rude, that was disrespectful! She’s a 97-Liner, TY! I will beat her into fucking submission if you don’t!”

He shook his head. “Oh my GOD! You’re insane,” he laughed. “Thank you, Queena.”

“You and your damned idol manners. A turd is a turd. Kick her aside and move on,” she crossed her arms.

“Everyone should be so lucky as to have an attack Queena on their side.”

“Right?” she purred. “TEN and I should start a security agency.”

“NO! You two together are much too savage! Add JeongHan and Yuta, you guys would demolish all haters.”

“Why is that a bad thing?” she teased him. “We’d be doing the universe a great service. Starting with Jimin Park.”

“Let! It! Go!” he laughed.

Jimin sat on the sofa, listening to their banter with a sigh. She had grown much loser to the NCTs lately, that’s for sure.

Johnny burst through the door carrying cases of soju as they all dashed in to help him. MinYeon flashed her eyes at Jimin before pulling out two bottles and heading toward the hot tub. He knew she had taken her off clothes before they even hit the ground.

“Now it’s a party!” TaeYong’s voice echoed as he cracked his neck before following her out.

#

“Apparently, there are seven of us,” MinYeon glanced around at all of the bare skin in the hot tub as Johnny jumped over her head and joined them.

“Would now be a good time to bring up a little fact?” Jisoo looked around. “Taking this to the grave also means leaving no trace. You will not enter this body without a condom.”

They all burst into laughter as Jimin joined them at last.

“Very valid point, my dear,” MinYeon agreed. “If there are any objections, you may leave now.”

“We’re really doing this?” Yuta smirked.

“Yes!” Johnny nodded. “And just so you know… I swing both ways.”

“You’re such a confident gay,” MinYeon teased him.

“Bi,” he corrected her. “I don’t discriminate, baby. I like it all.”

“I’m a fast learner,” JeongHan popped in as they squealed in laughter.

Jisoo slowly shimmied up to Jimin. “So… about those jeans…”

“They are currently on the floor,” he growled as she climbed into his lap.

“There’s my favorite Scorpio,” MinYeon spoke in Japanese as he dove in to kiss her.

“The hot tub just got hotter,” TaeYong tipped his head back with a bottle of soju that Johnny had handed him.

“I have two hands, TY,” MinYeon reached out to rub her hand up his thigh.

Johnny glanced at JeongHan, who was enjoying the show.

“I’ll wait,” he nodded with a smug smile.

“Suit yourself,” he joined Jisoo and Jimin.

MinYeon felt a hand slide between her legs and pulled back to catch her breath. She looked up to see JeongHan staring back at her and raised her eyebrows. “I need some water,” she murmured.

“Hurry back,” Yuta watched her slip out and wrap a towel around her.

“I see you every day,” TaeYong smirked as he sat back and ran his fingers through his hair.

“No worries,” he chuckled.

It was a moment before anyone noticed that both MinYeon and JeongHan were gone.

From inside, MinYeon tipped her head back with a glass of water, refilled it, and then held it up.

“Thanks,” JeongHan grabbed it from her while pushing his hips into her back.

“You’ve been waiting patiently,” she watched him through the mirror.

“And now my patience has paid off,” he placed the glass down and kissed her shoulder. “See how that works?”

“Don’t lecture me on patience,” she turned around to face him.

“I see that,” he stared into her eyes while pressing his lips against hers. “One of these days, you’ll trust me enough to tell me what the hell’s going on with you two.”

“Perhaps,” she smirked. “Or maybe you can take his place?”

He burst into a bright grin. “I highly doubt that.”

She ran her fingers down his chest and smiled. “Anything’s possible.”

“Keep lying to yourself,” he pushed her against the basin. “Or just shut up and let me worship you like the Goddess you are,” he kissed her.

She grinned at him. “Jisoo’s rule?”

He immediately held up a condom and cocked his eyebrow at her.

She sucked her bottom lip into her mouth and stared into his eyes.

“Goddess,” he repeated lowly as he cupped her ass and pulled her closer, bringing her off of the vanity. She unwrapped the condom and slid in on for him as his gaze refused to leave hers.

He brushed his lips across her, enjoying the taste of her full, pouty lips before pushing his way inside her.

She moaned into his mouth as he continued to kiss her. What was it about Libras? They were hands-down the best kissers in the world. She, however, had already been kissing on Yuta and engaged in heavy petting with Yuta and TaeYong, so this little tryst was not going to last long at all.

“Ah!” she cried out as her body clamped around him.

“Oooh. Nice,” he purred. “My God, you feel so good.”

She smiled before she kissed him.

He wrapped her up into his arms and lifted her from the vanity, sliding down the wall to sit against the cool tile, allowing her to push to her knees and tilt her hips.

“Yeon-ie…” he sputtered as she took control, finding a rhythm that drove him crazy.

Jimin looked up and noticed the two Libras missing. He met eyes with Yuta and smirked before pulling back from Jisoo. “I need some water.”

“Grab one for me,” she called after him before turning to focus on Johnny.

He walked into the house and turned to the kitchen, only to hear his girlfriend’s cries echo from down the hall.

He tilted his head and sighed before grabbing two bottles of water and returning to Jisoo.

MinYeon threw her head back as she felt her body once again tighten. This time, he came with her, their bodies twitching uncontrollably.

She smiled as he kissed her.

“My Scorpio won’t be happy that I’ve been gone so long.”

“Go get him, My Goddess,” he slapped her ass.

Yuta rested his neck against the edge and sighed as he looked around. JeongHan rejoined them just as Jimin and Johnny tagteamed Jisoo on the sofa in the living room. He smiled before sliding out and pattering off toward the bathroom.

MinYeon stepped out of the bathroom after cleaning up and ran straight into a brick wall. No words were spoken, but a glare that could boil water.

He couldn’t stay mat at her, not with the eyes she was batting at him. He didn’t need words, his eyes spoke for him as he pushed her into the room and locked the door behind them.

Her legs hit the edge of the futon as he kissed her.

“I would have bet on you doing this in the water.”

“I don’t want an audience. There’s no use in making everyone jealous.”

“Of me or you?”

“Both.”

“She let her eyes crawl down the length of his body. “Did you bring a belt?”

He looked around and found TaeYong's before pulling it out of his jeans and snapping it.

She turned around and put her hands behind her back.

His eyes widened excitedly as he took her cue. He belted her upper arms and pushed her face-down onto the bed. He took a moment to run his hands over her ass, running his fingertips over her most sensitive parts before licking his fingers and doing it again.

“Mmm,” she moaned as he rubbed circles over her clit, already sensitive from her tryst with JeongHan.

“What shall it be, Min-ah? Genie or chicken?”

“I don’t care,” her voice was muffled against the bed.

He grinned as he slid a finger inside her, still paying attention to her clit as her breathing became heavy. He pressed his lips against her skin before adding another finger and increasing his pace. He moved his hand to the belt strapped around her upper arms and grabbed on tightly before adding a third finger.

She yelped into the mattress as he felt her muscles clamp around them and licked his lips before reaching for a condom. He was gentle as he pushed inside her, pulling up on the belt so she could catch her breath. As soon as he was sure she was okay, he thrust increasingly harder as his hips pounded into hers.

“Fuck!” she squealed as everyone in the house froze and turned toward the bedrooms.

“Daaaaaaaaaamn,” TaeYong growled lowly.

“Harder!” she screamed as Jisoo raised her eyebrows.

“Just so you know… um… no. There will be no hardcore shit with me tonight.”

“You October kids are kinky!” Johnny turned to them.

“You have no idea,” JeongHan smirked.

“I’d like an idea,” he purred.

Jimin frowned as he walked off to the bathroom and closed the door.

“Nothing screams ‘they’ve done this before’ like hard core, earth ending screaming,” Jisoo whispered to TaeYong.

“Yeah,” he nodded. “They’ve got a thing.”

“What bout Jimin?” JeongHan was extremely confused.

“Dude, I’m not sure he ever sealed the deal.”

“Wow.”

After yet another orgasm, Yuta removed the belt and they took a break.

“I need to go to the toilet,” she leaned against him.

“Hurry back before someone else steals you.”

She kissed him before pulling away and walked off to the bathroom. A moment later, she scampered out to the living room. “JiSoo-ah…” she whispered. “Tag team, please. He’s going to break me.”

“I mean… anything for a sister, but…”

“If you don’t want it rough, just tell him,” she rubbed her arms, which held red marks from the belt.

They gave one another a high-five before walking off.

Yuta looked up to see Jisoo join him. “That trick Libra does not disappoint.”

MinYeon grabbed a bottle of water and walked off toward the bedroom she was to share with JeongHan and Jimin. He followed her in and closed the door behind him.

“What the hell, baby?”

“I’m outnumbered.”

He sighed.

“Aren’t you having fun?” she purred.

“Yeah, but…” he ran his fingers over her arm. “That’s going to bruise.”

“It usually does,” she smirked.

“This is what you two do?”

She stared at him for a moment before sliding into the bed and pulling up the duvet. “I’m taking a nap. You can join me, or not.”

“Did I hear naptime?” JeongHan dashed in and closed the door behind him.

The three of them snuggled up in the middle of the bed and dozed off.

#

The sun was setting when MinYeon threw one of Jimin’s hoodies over her head and walked into the house. TaeYong and Johnny were in the kitchen preparing dinner and Yuta was serving drinks.

“So, Master of Mischief. When do the games begin?” Jisoo smiled at her.

“During dinner,” she smiled at her. “I have a few… but we can start off with sexy scratch-offs.”

“Ooooh. My Squishy has good ideas,” he kissed her cheek.

So… in the first day, how may people in this house have you fucked?” Jisoo looked around.

MinYeon raised her eyebrows. “Ever? Or just here today?” she asked.

“Oh my God, Yeon-ie!” she hissed. “Why did we need to go there?” she squealed as the men burst into laughter.

“I just asked for clarification,” she accepted her drink with a grin.

“Any threesomes happening yet?” Johnny peeked out of the kitchen and looked between the Libras.

“We have tomorrow,” JeongHan purred.

“All day tomorrow,” Jimin teased him.

“I’m starting to think Hwasa was right,” MinYeon sighed as Jimin and JeongHan again laughed. “She told me I’d need ice packs,” she informed the ones who weren’t at the bar meet-up.

“You can never tell her that. Shame,” JeongHan watched her.

“She’ll be here next year if I have to kidnap her myself.”

“This is a yearly thing?” TaeYong called out. “I’m okay with that.”

“More girls next year, please. Poor Yeon-ie’s taking a pounding for you guys,” Jisoo complained as they all laughed.

“So!” Jisoo looked between MinYeon and Jimin. “Please explain to me why the world thinks you two are together, but it’s really you and Yuta,” she threw her thumb over her shoulder.

“I don’t have a boyfriend,” MinYeon chirped at her.

“That’s bullshit,” Yuta yelled at her. “I’m the Emergency Boyfriend.”

“That’s true,” she nodded. “My parents placed him as my Emergency Boyfriend in the event that shit goes down and only a Yuta will do.”

He nodded proudly.

“Do they know he ties you up and acts out scenes in “The Wailing?” she quipped.

“No,” she scrunched her face. “Please never say that again.”

“Who said I’m not still chasing her?” Jimin smirked at her.

“The fact that you didn’t throw her over your shoulder and lock the damned door.”

He rolled his eyes and nodded. “It wasn’t from lack of trying…”

“Oooo,” Jisoo clapped her hands together. “A woman who doesn’t swoon over Park Jimin. You are now my favorite.”

“I’m everyone’s favorite,” she batted her eyes at her.

“The trip isn’t over yet,” Jimin glared at MinYeon.

“Bring it, pretty boy,” she purred.

He licked his lips as he nodded his head arrogantly.

Food was served as they all sat around. MinYeon passed off scratch cards. “There are four choices in each of three categories. Put your names on the back of the cards and I shall redistribute them. You scratch off ONE and only ONE choice from the category. If caught cheating, punishment is up to the discretion of the Master of Activities…”

“Yikes,” Johnny grimaced.

“I don’t need that drama in my life,” Jisoo purred.

“Don’t look at the names on the back until you’ve scratched off your little hearts,” she wrote her name on the back of a card and walked back around to retrieve them. “Here we go,” she passed them out and returned to her seat. She stared at the card for a moment before scratching off three hearts. “I am giving oral sex to this person in the bathroom for two minutes,” she wiggled her eyebrows. “And that lucky person shall be…” she turned the card over and burst into giggles. “Jisoo-ya!”

“Can I please watch?!” Johnny begged them.

“Read your card,” she laughed.

“I am getting handsy in the closet for one minute with… TaeYong,” he deflated quickly.

“You are so mean!” Yuta yelled at MinYeon.

“It’s the luck of the draw, my friend!”

He rolled his eyes. “I’ll have Johnny on his knees in the bedroom for three minutes. Wait… I can make this work.”

“Fuck my life,” Johnny sighed.

“I will be nibbling the ears of… Yuta… in the kitchen for seven minutes. That’s a lot of nibbles.”

“I don’t mind,” he glanced at her.

“These aren’t good odds,” JeongHan looked across the table at Jimin.

“Rip the band aid off quickly,” he sighed.

“I’m giving Jimin-ie a shoulder massage for five minutes.”

“It could be worse…”

“I’m sharing a blanket with JeongHan outside for ten minutes.”

“Cuddle time for the Libras,” MinYeon grinned at them.

“I’m getting handsy with Yeon-ie in the closet for five minutes,” TaeYong slammed his hand down.

They broke up to perform their tasks, switched and finished them up, and then returned to the table to eat some more. It was much quieter than the first time.

“You look flush, Jisoo-ya,” JeongHan cocked his eyebrow.

“Queena is… talented…” she spoke slowly as her cheeks reddened even more.

The men all turned to her, eyebrows raised.

“Do we need a refresher about that ‘hood’ gentlemen?” she purred cooly.

“I wasn’t aware you had first-had experience,” TaeYong watched her.

“Silly boy,” she batted her eyes.

She passed out the cards for round two and again waited.

“Damn it!” Johnny whined. “I live downstairs from him. I do not want to fondle him for two minutes!”

“I definitely don’t want to give Jimin a foot rub for seven minutes,” Yuta complained.

“It gets better, I promise,” MinYeon tried not to laugh.

“I’m blowing TY for three minutes in the closet,” Jisoo raised her hand. “Fuck off about the foot rub.”

“I’m apparently touching myself for ten minutes in the bathroom. I’m good with that,” JeongHan laughed.

“I’m ticking Jisoo with feathers for one minute.” Jimin rolled his eyes. Not bad.

“I hate being tickled,” she pouted.

“I’m kissing Johnny for five minutes,” MinYeon looked down the table.

“And suddenly everything is worth it,” he nodded.

“I’m having oral sex with Yeon-ah in the bedroom for ten minutes,” TaeYong’s eyes widened as he looked at her.

“I can teach you,” Jimin purred as they burst into laughter.

“I’m a good teacher,” MinYeon whispered. “We’ve got this,” she winked at him.

There were a few more smiles and flushed faces the second time as they returned to eat the rest of their meals. MinYeon passed out the final cards.

“I’ll do dishes to get out of mine,” Johnny read his card. “I have no desire to touch TYong’s feet.”

“Agreed,” MinYeon nodded.

“I get to sit on my knees by myself and watch you,” Yuta smirked. “I like this.”

“Share a blanket in the closet for seven minutes with… Jimin? I’m good with that,” Jisoo nodded.

“I get Jisoo-ya on her knees in the bedroom for three minutes.”

“Yes,” she growled at him.

“I get to nibble Min-ah’s ears for ten minutes,” Jimin laughed evilly.

“That’s a lot of fucking nibbling,” she smirked. “I get to feel up Johnny in the bedroom for a minute.”

“I’ll take that one! You can do that before I do the dishes!”

“Ear nibbles with JeongHan…”

“Dishes,” JeongHan agreed.

#

Dishes were washed. The table was cleaned. Everyone returned and drinks were refilled. MinYeon closed the curtains and made sure all of the doors were locked as the men glanced at one another with questioning eyes.

“Form two lines. The first two people turn to one another and try to make the other laugh. The loser loses an article of clothing. Keep going unto the first person is naked. They will get a chore for the next game. The winner will get to pick something for the next game.”

“Sounds good.”

“Go!

Jisoo turned to Yuta. She immediately remembered his ear nibbling abilities and began to giggle. She turned away and pulled her shorts off, tossing them across the floor.

TaeYong turned to Jimin and waited. Jimin’s eyes widened as he stared at him. He suddenly crossed his eyes as Jimin laughed. He turned and pulled his shirt over his head and threw it aside.

“We should start with this one next time, Squishy,” JeongHan faced her.

“Okay,” she answered plainly while staring at him.

“Holy fuck, a Libra showdown,” Johnny watched between them like a tennis match.

“You can’t beat me. I’m Kim MinSeok’s dongsaeng. He taught me the ways of the resting bitch face.”

He closed his eyes and smiled. “Damn it.”

“Yassss!” she turned away as he pulled his shirt off.

Johnny turned to Yuta. “I have no chance in hell,” he pulled his shirt off and walked away.

Jisoo turned to Jimin and crossed her arms. “Feathers…” she whispered as he fell to his knees in laughter.

“Nooooo!” he yelled before pulling off his shorts. “I still have my socks on, they count!”

“I’m good with that,” MinYeon smirked as he flashed his eyes at her.

TaeYong face JeongHan and waited. Neither was going to budge. Neither of them would back down… until JeongHan picked his nose.

“Shit,” TaeYong lost his shirt.

MinYeon went up against Yuta as everyone quieted. Their eye contact was overwhelmingly scary as they watched and waited.

“Minions are cute,” he spoke lowly.

“Takoyaki sucks,” she shot back.

He raised his eyebrows and nearly lost it, but straightened up. “Queena has arrived. I do believe your new title is Queena Kim, SM Goddess and Ruler of EXO Oppas.”

She bit the inside of her lip to keep from laughing as her cheeks burned red. “That just makes you even more my bitch,” she deadpanned as he threw back his head in laughter.

“Woah,” TaeYong and Johnny dropped to their knees and bowed to MinYeon.

“That was AWESOME!”

“Queena! Queena! Queena!” they changed as Yuta took off his shirt.

Johnny straightened up and turned to Jimin. “Dude, I can’t do this with your junk handing out,” he laughed as he turned away and pulled off his shorts. He too had on socks.

Jisoo turned to JeongHan as her eyes slowly fell to his chest.

“My eyes are right here, beautiful,” he pointed to his eyes. “Just look into my angelic eyes.”

She burst into giggle before turning to pull her shirt over her head.

“Please pull two futons into the main room,” MinYeon instructed her as TaeYong lost to Yuta. “TY, please find two duvets to bring in here as well.

She turned to meet Jimin’s eyes and cocked her eyebrows. “Unlike JohnJohn, I could stare at your junk all day.”

“Your mouth never stops!” he laughed at her before pulling off his socks.

“Please push the furniture to the sides of the room,” she sighed in contentment as she stared at his bare ass.

Johnny didn’t even bother as he kicked his socks off and spread out the futons and duvets in the middle of the floor. “I don’t know what this next game is, but I’m looking forward to it.”

“Right?” Jisoo smirked.

“And then, there were three,” MinYeon once again faced Yuta.

“Your bitch is at your service, Queena,” he smirked.

She burst into a smile and shook her head. “I walked into that one.”

“You did.”

She threw her shirt off and walked off to retrieve various oils, lotions, condoms, and toys.

“You win, I see sexy things,” Yuta pushed JeongHan away as he pulled his shorts off.

“What do I win?” he looked over the futons, duvets, and all of the goodies as Yuta carried in soju and water bottles and placed them around.

“You, My Angel, get to pick a spot. I will turn out the lights and then… we will join you.”

“That’s called an orgy,” TaeYong smirked at her.

“That’s exactly what it is,” she tilted her head. “Joshua’s idea, all in this room.”

“We won’t know who we’re touching,” Yuta stared at her.

“No you won’t, you will only… eventually… figure out their gender… if you do it right,” she purred.

JeongHan removed his clothes and plopped down into the center of the futons. “Let’s do this!” he clapped his hand together.

MinYeon looked around one last time before turning out the lights.

#

There were hands everything. Once everyone relaxed and overcame their shock of their bodies being rubbed on by multiple people, mouths began wandering.

Sounds of sucking, licking, kissing, and moaning filled the house. The mass of writing bodies moved together, no indication of where one person ended and the other began.

“There you are, Baby,” Johnny found MinYeon, who was on her back with at least two more sets of hands on her.

“Don’t stop,” Jimin pleaded as someone stroked his erection.

“Oh fuck!” Jisoo cried out as someone sucked on her nipple.

“That’s new,” JeongHan purred.

“Please don’t stop,” TaeYong didn’t care who it was, but their hands on him felt amazing.

“Yes, please,” MinYeon begged before someone pushed himself inside her.

“Harder,” Yuta growled.

“That’s it!” MinYeon cried out, followed by a grunt.

“That feels so good!” Jimin whimpered.

There was a shift as new hands and new mouths met new bodies.

“My God, your mouth is like velvet,” JeongHan sighed.

“Yes!”

“Ah!”

The moaning and yelling plateaued before slowly dying off. The movement began to end as breathing returned to normal. Everyone simply lay where they fell and took in the moment while still touching and holding hands.

“That was much messier than expected,” MinYeon was the first to speak as they all snickered.

“I think we need a shower,” JeongHan pulled on Jimin’s hand as the three walked down the hall.

“I think the Libras just ditched an orgy to regroup,” Johnny listened for a moment before smiling. “I love their freaky asses.”

“They’re the ones who put this together,” TaeYong sighed. “I am not complaining.”

“We have to do this again. Oh my God, we have to,” Jisoo agreed.

Jimin stepped behind MinYeon in the shower and kissed her neck as he brought his hands around her waist. JeongHan turned on and tested the hot water before turning around to spray down the front of her.

She wasn’t sure what happened out on those futons, but suddenly JeongHan and Jimin met eyes. She looked between them as her mouth parted slightly and she let out an excited breath.

“Kiss him,” she whispered.

Jimin looked down at her for a moment before pushing his hips into her back. As he reached up to catch JeongHan’s lips, he slid his hand down between her thighs.

MinYeon reached around JeongHan’s back and grabbed his ass, pulling him closer to her as she reached up to kiss his chest. She reached her free hand around Jimin’s hip and pulled him closer.

They made out together, taking turns kissing as they rubbed, stroked and fingered one another.

“There is one bathroom!” Yuta knocked on the door as they burst into laughter.

“Sorry,” MinYeon giggled.

They finished spraying down one another and dried off before pattering off to their bedroom and locking the door.

#

MinYeon sat on the edge of the bed, in the dark, and watched her boyfriend make out with one of their best friends. She let them have their time, knowing that it was new for them, and that they would never, ever do this in Seoul.

She looked up as JeongHan reached up and grabbed her wrist, pulling her in between them as they moved their attention to her. There wasn’t an inch of her body spared as both men worked on pleasuring her, their favorite woman on the planet.

JeongHan made his way between her legs to prove that he too knew exactly where to find the clitoris and how to properly treat it while Jimin kissed her repeatedly. He missed her so much and this was the first time since he arrived that she let him kiss her, he had to take advantage of this moment no matter what.

She pulled away and cried out, arching her back before running her fingers through his bleached, blonde hair.

She turned and pushed Jimin down, kissing down his chest until she arrived at his belly.

“God, Baby,” he sighed as she took him into his mouth.

He reached onto the side table and grabbed a condom, handing it to JeongHan as he kissed her back, running his tongue down to her ass. She moaned into Jimin, who replied much the same way before pushing his way inside her.

After so much sex that day, they definitely didn’t last long and in no time had collapsed into a writhing heap of bodies. They quickly fell asleep, holding on to one another.

Jimin opened his eyes the next morning to find MinYeon in his arms and smiled. He kissed her neck and breathed in her scent before pulling her closer. “My Baby,” he whispered.

“Mmm,” she opened her eyes. “Where did he go?”

“I don’t care,” he sighed. “I missed you so much.”

She pulled away and sat up, looking down at him. “Perhaps you should answer your texts, then.”

“Min-ah…” he ran his hand down her arm. “This is so hard.”

“It is,” she agreed. “It’s harder being alone while the person you love most in the world ignores you.”

“I’m not ignoring you. I see everything you send. I just… I can’t respond when my managers are around.”

She rolled her eyes and looked away.

“Are you having fun though?” he smiled at her. “I know I did.”

She looked down at him. “I’m really sore,” she laughed.

“We should start out the day in the hot tub, then.”

“Perhaps,” she watched him. She had so much she wanted to say, but this really wasn’t the place to do it. “I’m kind of hungry,” she reached for some clothes and pattered off to the kitchen where she found JeongHan and Yuta sitting at the table.

“My Mochi,” Yuta held out his arms.

She slid onto his lap and kissed him. “Good morning.”

JeongHan watched their interaction as he raised his eyebrows.

“You need to eat,” he popped a blueberry into her mouth as she smiled at him.

“Thank you.”

“Did you have fun last night?”

“Truckloads,” she giggled. “You?”

“Oh yeah,” he nodded. “I am so glad we have a code, because this cannot get out to anyone.”

“That would be very bad,” she agreed before turning to JeongHan.

“Are you leaving today or tomorrow?”

“We have another show appearance tomorrow, so we’ll need to be at rehearsal in the morning.”

She nodded her understanding.

“How does your head feel?” he rubbed the back of her scalp with her fingertips.

“It’s better,” she assured him.

Jimin joined them and sat at the table, staring them down before he and JeongHan met eyes.

“What happened to your head?” JeongHan asked her.

“I went to Countdown to watch the EXOppas perform and a fan pulled my hair,” she rubbed the back of her head.

“Damn, Baby,” JeongHan sighed. “Your manager needs to do a better job at protecting you.”

“He’s become fairly unreliable. I ditched him that one time in Suwon, so now he doesn’t go with me anywhere.”

“Suwon, what?” Jimin asked.

“Oh her birthday,” JeongHan smirked. “We talked her into coming to the festival.”

“I knew that much.”

“We ditched our managers and the English speakers snuck off to Anyang to a cabin bar.”

“You didn’t tell me that.”

“You were on tour,” Yuta watched him.

The men glared at one another until MinYeon sighed and walked off to the kitchen.

“You need to back off,” Jimin growled at him.

JeongHan was confused. He thought Yuta was the one dating MinYeon.

“I can’t do that; I promised her grandmother I’d take care of her.”

“She’s mine.”

“Keep telling yourself that while you continue to ignore her texts and fuck her cousin.”

“Did she tell you that? That’s none of your business!”

“It is when I’m the shoulder she cries on at three in the morning,” he informed him.

“That’s it. You are done taking care of her.”

“We’ll see what Obahan has to say.”

“I’m happy to have my own private drama in front of me, but what the fuck? Which of you is actually dating her?”

They both turned to him.

“BOTH?! And where does WonHo-hyung fit into this?”

“They talk,” Yuta shrugged his shoulders.

“They fuck,” Jimin angered.

“Is he her secret boyfriend?”

“Secret boyfriend?” Jimin asked.

“The night of Anyang, she used the party to get away from her manager, and then snuck out and met up with a dude who drove off with her. She called Johnny later and told him she was home safely. She wouldn’t tell us who it was.”

He sat back and crossed his arms, looking away for a moment.

“You guys gossip worse than girls,” she hissed from the doorway. “I thought this was supposed to be fun?”

“You’re right. No more talk about shit that goes down in Seoul,” JeongHan turned to the others.

“Fine,” Jimin sighed.

The second day was filled with seven people, who were normally extraordinarily busy, lying around and watching the television. It was followed by pizza and drinks, and straight to a second orgy. Instead of getting up and separating into the rooms for the night, however, they passed out together, cuddled into one mass until the birds began to chirp on the third day.

Jimin opened his eyes and looked around, noticing that Yuta and MinYeon were missing. He frowned as he got up and walked down the hall to find them snuggled up in his bed. Just as he was about to open his mouth, TaeYong pattered past him while scratching his head.

“Yuta,” he called to him. “We’ve gotta pack up, man.”

“Got it,” he stretched out his arms and yawned as Jimin walked down to his room and waited.

MinYeon rolled over and stretched as well. “Are you going to Kyungsoo-oppa’s movie premier on the 6th?” she yawned.

“We have a high-touch, but I think we’re all meeting at Club Octagon later that night.”

“Oppa mentioned something about that.”

“What are you doing on the 11th?”

“I’ve already turned in my project and paper for the quarter, so I am free.”

“I think we… should go out.”

“Like a date?”

“Exactly like a date.”

“I will check with Marcus and get back to you when I see you Thursday night.”

“Okay,” he kissed her on the forehead before walking off to pack.

She walked down to her room to find her cell phone and Jimin was in bed, sitting up, waiting for her. “Good morning,” she smiled as she received a notification.

“We need to talk.”

“Hold that thought,” she walked out to the hall. “Jisoo-yah! Our flight was cancelled and rescheduled. We leave at 11:00!”

“I’ll start packing!”

“Are we on the same flight?” TaeYong called to her.

“We might be!”

“Sweet,” Johnny called out from the bathroom.

“What happened to the ‘no phones’ rule?” JeongHan returned from the bathroom.

“All hell just broke loose,” she dialed the phone while picking through her bag for something to wear. “EunJi-nim, it looks like I will be able to teach my class today after all. Ne. Thank you very much, I owe you boba tea,” she laughed. “Okay. See you soon,” she ended the call.

“Min-ah, we really do need to talk,” Jimin stressed.

“Okay. Why don’t you text me when you get home,” she smiled sweetly before walking off to get ready, digging into the fact that he hadn’t been responding to her much lately. They weren’t even home yet, and the vacation had worn off. He sighed as he ran his fingers through his hair.

#

Lucky13: We need to talk.

MinMandooo: I am teaching class right now.

Lucky13: Are you coming to Hyung’s dinner?

She stopped responding for two hours.

MinMandoo: I was disinvited from oppa’s party. Thanks for rubbing it in.

Lucky13: I’m sorry baby, I didn’t know.

Lucky13: I have a light day tomorrow.

MinMandooo: I am shooting in Insadong.

Lucky13: We have MAMA rehearsals. Stay at the mansion Thursday night.

MinMandooo: I’m going to Kyungsoo-oppa’s premiere and going to an SM thing with my Oppa after.

Lucky13: We leave for Taiwan on Friday.

MinMandoo: What is it, Jimin-ie?

Lucky13: I don’t want to text this.

MinMandoo: Talk to Big Hit about that. My break is over.

She walked into her apartment late that night, turned on the light, and kicked off her shoes. She dialed her phone while walking around the kitchen, checking mail and messages.

“Hi. I’m home. I’m safe, I promise. Yes, please tell him to stop worrying. I will see you all Thursday night. Goodnight,” she laughed while ending the call.

She glanced down and saw Jimin’s key on the counter before walking off to her studio.

“Min-ah! You know I’m here!” he yelled from the bedroom.

She sat down in her seat and waited.

“Why are you avoiding me?”

“When’s the last time you called to make sure I was safely home?!” she yelled back at him.

He leaned against the door and watched her. “You never answered me.”

She rubbed her forehead and sighed. “About what?”

“You and Yuta.”

She had flashbacks to dating YoonGi and sighed. “I’m supposed to date other men, but when I try to do that, you stop it. I’m supposed to be seen with other men, but when I do, you get angry.”

“I didn’t think it would feel like this.”

“If I can’t be with you, I’m going to keep myself busy and most of my friends are men.”

“You were supposed to be seen with one man!”

“I was told to be with other people.”

“Who are you seeing Thursday night?”

“SHINee’s Key and Taemin are having a get-together.”

“Those are MY friends!”

“They’re my oppa’s sunbaes.”

He rubbed his face as he looked around. “Stop seeing Yuta.”

“Stop fucking my cousin!” she screamed at him.

Tears filled his eyes. “Min-ah…”

She pushed past him as he grabbed her arm.

“I’m sorry, Baby.”

“You went straight from my bed to hers,” she looked away.

“I’m so tired of this…”

“There are two options.”

“I can’t lose you.”

She shook her head. “I’m going to Chile with SM Town in January.”

“They trust you now?”

“You don’t deserve that conversation,” she huffed.

“You’re breaking my heart.”

“Mine was demolished a long time ago,” she pushed away and walked to the bedroom. “The 95-Line house was supposed to be fun.”

“I didn’t realize how close you and Yuta were.”

She cleared her throat. “For your information, I am sleeping with two other men. They both know I’m in love with you. They both know it could end right now. They both know they are being used for the benefit of Bangtan. I have been completely upfront with them.”

He crossed his arms.

“Does EunJae know the same or are you just fucking her because she looks like me?”

“Baby…”

“How does that end? How do I go to my family and see her? I begged you not to do it. Nothing I say matters to you.”

“I’m… so sorry, Baby.”

“I don’t want to do this anymore. I don’t like fighting with you and that’s all we do. Being in love isn’t supposed to be like this.”

“No, no, no!” he pulled her into his arms.

“Have you even paid attention to me? Do you realize that my apartment was broken into? Marcus collected my pictures of you just in case it happens again.”

“Yeah…”

“A fan pulled my hair at Countdown when I saw EXO. Monsta X performed ‘Myself’ on Music Core and a group began chanting ‘KMY whore.’ I can’t eat, I’m constantly in pain…”

“You don’t deserve this…”

“I don’t want to be here anymore.”

Panic shot up his spine. “Don’t talk like that.”

“I can get my master’s anywhere. Somewhere where no one knows kpop or cares about who I know.”

“Please don’t leave me.”

She pushed away from him and dropped onto the bed.

“I’ll talk to Big Hit.”

“They’ll just tell you to break up with me.”

“We did this because of the threats from SM, but when those went away nothing changed.”

“After the oppas leaked their own comeback, SM pulled their schedule and took them off of all awards shows. EXO-L are rioting against the company and their management… this was the final comeback before they begin enlisting and they messed it up to keep me safe.”

“Why are we doing this if there’s nothing to hide from anymore?”

“That sounds like an excellent question for your company. Why don’t you run on back and ask them?”

“I was hoping to stay a while.”

“Are you going to stop seeing EunJae?”

“It depends. Are you still going out with Yuta?”

They stared at one another, unyielding.

“Goodnight,” she blinked away a tear before walking out to her studio.

“Min-ah…” he called after her. His chest tightened as he slowly followed her. He stared through the doorway for a moment before speaking. “Why am I afraid that one of these days I’m going to open the door and find everything gone?”

“Probably the same reason I’m just waiting for the day Big Hit demands our breakup and you comply.”

“Do you really think that I’d let that happen?”

“Do you forget who I am?!” she yelled at him before looking up. “My brother has…. Drilled into my head over and over that the company’s commands are final! The hierarchy is Company, sponsorship, talent, management, staff, family, and then maybe friends and girlfriends. I don’t matter in the grand scheme of things, no matter what bullshit Bang-ssi feeds you.”

“That’s SM…”

“Why are you trying so hard to blow sunshine up my ass?! Your argument is invalid! We are not free to be together. We can’t even have a secret relationship at this point. We have no relationship! TaeTae doesn’t even speak to me unless I text him first,” she lowered her voice.

“I don’t know what to do,” he cried.

“Right now… just leave,” she whined. “I don’t want to talk about it anymore.”

“Is this really where we’re at?” he cried.

She shook her head before pushing away from the soundboard and rushing into his arms.

“There’s My Baby,” he held her tightly as they cried together. “It’s almost over,” he kissed her forehead. “They said until the end of the year, right? Hang with me, Baby. It’s almost over.”

“I’m so scared,” her shoulders shook as she cried.

“I know. I am too.”

She pulled away and looked up at him. “I love you. Not them. I’m yours and I always will be. Please… please… stop ignoring me. Lie. Hide everything. Create codes. I don’t care, just stop shutting me out.”

He pressed his forehead against hers and closed his eyes. “Everything is so perfect when it’s just the two of us, like this. Why does the rest of the world have to fuck it up?”

“We need to revisit your idea. How long could we survive on the funds we currently have before we run out of money?”

“My dad’s been investing, we could be okay,” he smiled at her.

“I need to produce a couple full albums and boost my royalty income… soon.”

“Soon” he sighed as his phone buzzed. His face fell as sadness overcame him while sliding it out to answer. “Yeobosayo?” he growled. “Sorry hyung, I came to get some noodles and they were closed. Sure. I’m on it. Okay.”

“Lie number one.”

“No, lie number one was telling him that I was on a trip with the Padding Squad the past two days.”

She sighed as her eyes fell away.

“You’re the only person I’ve ever lied for. I’m just on a food run right now.”

“Your pants are going to catch on fire.”

“I have been told I have a hot ass,” he smirked at her.

She closed her eyes and snuggled into him.

“I wish I could stay longer.”

“So do I.”

“I’m sore as hell, though,” he burst into laughter as she did the same.

“Oh my goodness, I actually considered an icepack this morning.”

“It was fun though, right?”

“Most of it,” she nodded.

“Yeah,” he sighed.

“Can you come to Club Octagon with me Thursday night?”

“I wish I could. We leave for Taiwan the next morning.”

She nodded silently.

“I guess the SM Princess needs to make an appearance.”

She again nodded. “Did Jin-oppa have a good birthday?”

“He did. He is very happy with the gift you sent.”

She smiled and nodded.

“Have you eaten?”

“I can’t,” she looked away. “My doctor wants to try a medication for nausea that chemotherapy patients take. It’s strong, but causes drowsiness, so I can only take it when I can sleep.”

“You don’t sleep much,” he pouted.

“I might stay with my parents over Christmas and give it a try.”

“That may be a good idea.”

She rolled her eyes.

“We’ll figure it out and get you well. We need to put some weight on you and get your squishy cheeks back.”

“You should probably go.”

“Yeah,” he sighed. “I love you, Baby. We’ll get through this, I promise.”

“I’m holding you to that promise.”

He kissed her before pulling himself away to leave.

Jimin arrived at the company with food to find his members staring at him.

“What’s wrong with your face?” TaeHyung asked.

“Nothing, why?” he began to panic? Did MinYeon have lipstick on?

“Your face is blotchy and red and your eyes are swollen,” NamJoon watched him.

“Have you been crying?” YoonGi accused him.

He looked away and huffed.

“How is Noona?” JeongGuk asked slowly.

He shook his head. “I am… really close to losing her.”

“What?!” they all hissed.

“All we do lately is argue. We’re both miserable.”

“So do something romantic for her,” TaeHyung suggested.

He raised his eyebrows. “We get back late on Hug Day from Hong Kong.”

“So… surprised her. Get to her place before midnight just to give her a hug,” SeokJin suggested. “Cute and romantic.”

He burst into a bright smile. “Okay.”

#

“And here we have EXO’s Xiumin, accompanied by his younger sister, the songwriter known as KMY. Welcome!” the interviewer spoke on the red carpet. They bowed and smiled before waving to the fans who were screaming at them. “It is nice to see you supporting a member of EXO, what do you think of DO’s acting skills?”

MinYeon raised her eyebrows at the question.

“I think it’s strange seeing him up on the screen because I know him so well, but then again that is probably what he thinks of me,” MinSeok grinned as he spoke.

“And you?” he turned the microphone to her.

“Kyungsoo-oppa works very hard in everything he does, and this is no exception. He is an amazing actor and I am looking forward to seeing this movie.”

“There’s a rumor that you have a special relationship with DO, can you elaborate on that?”

Her eyes widened as MinSeok cleared his throat.

“That is a private part of my life that is none of your concern,” she bowed politely as her brother bit the insides of his lips to keep from laughing.

“Thank you for your time,” the interviewer bowed to them as they walked off.

“What the fuck?” she whispered under her breath as MinSeok patted her hand.

“You didn’t curse on National Television. I’m really proud of you,” he chuckled.

“You should be,” she smirked.

They stepped out of the car at Club Octagon to flashes and cell phones recording their every movement. Xiumin took her hand and waved as the bouncer escorted them through the line and to the door. They were escorted to an area of cushioned seating where Block B’s Zico, Key, Taemin, MiHyeon, and Chanyeol were sitting and drinking.

They took turns hugging everyone as MiHyeon looked between the siblings. “What’s up?”

“The movie was really good, you should see it,” she nodded.

“Yeah, I hate to admit it, but he’s a very good actor,” MinSeok followed.

“KMY! C’mere, my little freak!” Key waved her over as she burst into laughter.

“Does that make you Papa Freak?” she giggled as he hugged her.

“Totally,” he glanced at Zico. “Have you met?”

“It's been a long time,” he reached his hand out for her.

“It has,” she grinned at him.

"You have definitely grown up, you're beautiful."

"Thank you."

“I really like the song you wrote for Monsta X,” TaeMin interrupted their conversation, pulling attention on her work instead of her looks, for which she was immensely appreciative.

“Thank you! It was a little different for them, and I got to work through the process of adding raps with them, so it was a lot of fun.”

“And Suga’s song!” Key fawned over her. “I’ve never heard him sing that much before!”

“That was a lot of fun to play with,” she laughed.

“What are you working on now?”

“I just turned in my projects and paper for the end of the quarter and I’m relaxing for the rest of the year. If something pops up I’ll write it down, but I’m not actively working on anything.”

“Nice,” Key gave her a high-five as another group joined them.

MinYeon glanced up to see the look on TaeMin’s face before looking out to see that Yuta had arrived with TEN and Lucas. She bit her lip as she watched the eye contact between TEN and him before tilting her head and looking back at him.

“What?” he smiled at her.

She raised her eyebrows. “Please tell me I’m not seeing things.”

He pulled her aside and handed her a fresh drink. “What do you think you see?”

“A lot of potential,” she grinned.

“You’re crazy!” he laughed.

“That’s beside the point,” she turned to receive TEN’s hug.

“Wow, it feels like I haven’t seen you in forever!” he kissed her cheek. “How have you been?”

“I’m good,” she waved at Lucas. She knew he had a difficult time learning Korean, and tended to look lost in most conversations, so she immediately began speaking Chinese to him. “Are you well?”

“Yes,” he grinned happily. “I don’t think I knew you knew Chinese!”

“Lay taught me over a few video chats,” she giggled.

“Ah, nice.”

“My Minion!” Yuta picked her up in a hug and kissed her cheek as MinSeok cocked his eyebrow and sighed.

“You don’t approve?” Key asked him lowly.

“My Japanese grandma overrules anything I think,” he murmured.

“Ah,” he threw his head back in laughter as the final group joined them. “And there’s the man of the hour!” he held up his glass.

MinYeon immediately handed a glass of champagne to Kyungsoo as Kai followed him to the table… with Blackpink’s Jennie in tow.

“Hi,” MinYeon grinned at her before looking up at Kai. “Would you like a drink, Oppa?”

“Yes,” he nodded.

“MinYeon-ie…” Jennie pulled her aside. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you.”

“It’s none of my business.”

“I would be pissed if I found out you were dating one of my BigBang oppas behind my back. I know how you feel.”

“Just for clarification, I’m not,” she purred.

“I know, but still… I made JiSoo-iya promise not to tell you and I know you’re tight.”

“It’s fine, really,” she hugged her. “Congratulations.”

“Thank you. Our companies are going public with it on New Year’s Day, and I’m a little nervous.”

“What?”

“Right?” she laughed. “It’s going to be insane.”

“Yeah,” she plastered a smile on her face and sat back.

MinSeok frowned as he watched her before turning to Yuta and raising his eyebrows. She shook her head for a moment before turning to TEN.

“So… tell me about TaeMin-ssi.”

He raised his eyes and caught his breath for a moment before laughing. “Is it that obvious?”

“It is to me,” she murmured lowly. She flashed her eyes up to TaeMin and grinned brightly as he rolled his eyes and sighed. “No one’s made a move yet?”

“We’re in South Korea, um… no,” he whispered.

“Please let me help,” she pressed her hands together. “You two would be adorable together.”

“Stop,” he glanced around before bursting into a smile. “In Thailand, it isn’t that big of a deal. It is here.”

“I understand,” she rolled her eyes around in thought. “Okay. We should double date. I’ll be his date, and you pick someone fun for me.”

“What?” he huffed.

“Like Johnny says… I do not discriminate to whom I give my love,” she purred.

“Air signs,” he sighed.

“Your drink is low,” Yuta placed a fresh glass in front of her.

“Thank you,” she looked up at him and smiled.

“Have you recovered from your trip?” he asked her casually.

“Yes,” she burst into giggles. “You?”

“I was surprised how sore I was after these past few days of events,” he smirked.

“You poor baby,” she licked her bottom lip. “You’re so busy right now, too.”

“We have Music Core tomorrow, we’re flying to Bangkok with EXO for a festival, coming back for MAMA Korea and then… we have a date.”

“We do,” she agreed. “Where are you taking me?”

“I thought maybe we could go ice skating and then to dinner.”

“I like it already,” she took a drink.

“And then a movie and drinks…”

“Getting better,” she pressed her body into his and looked up into his eyes.

“And then back to your place.”

“That is a perfect date,” she stared at his lips.

“Mochi…” he sighed lowly. “You make me crazy.”

“You’re welcome,” she scrunched her nose before taking another drink.

“I thought… she and Jimin-ie had a thing…” TaeMin turned to Kai.

“Me too,” he raised his eyebrows.

“There are sites devoted to MinMin,” MinSeok smirked at them.

Kyungsoo glared from across the table and yelled at them. “Dongsaeng!”

Yuta raised his eyebrows and turned to him. “Sunbae-nim!” he laughed.

“Please keep your hands and your lips away from my little sister!” he teased him as the entire table burst into laughter.

“Yes, Sunbae-nim!” he grinned before taking a drink.

“She needs an EXO tiara!” Key fell back laughing as MinYeon crossed her arms and glared at him.

“I’m on it,” Kai typed on his phone as TaeMin laughed at him.

The time flew by as thousands of dollars worth of liquor was consumed, all comped by the house just for having a table full of idols in their club. The party was in full steam as MinHo, Suho, BaekHyun, and Chanyeol showed up.

MinYeon looked up from a conversation with MiHyeon and Jennie to see BaekHyun swinging a gift bag from his finger with a huge smile on his face.

“Oh no,” she hiccuped. “What did you do?”

“It’s time, MinYeon-ie,” he nodded solemnly.

She slowly reached across the table and accepted the bag before looking up at Chanyeol and his huge, dimpled grin.

“It is official,” Suho nodded humbly before accepting a drink.

“Ugh,” she sighed before reaching in to pull out silver sparkly pipe cleaners, fashioned in the shape of a tiara with the EXO symbol.

“YES!” Key yelled out as the entire table burst into laughter.

“Fuck my life,” she squealed before letting out a huff.

“Here we go…” TEN took it from her and slid it into place on top of her head. “Perfect,” he grinned.

“Group photo!” Xiumin handed his phone to MiHyeon as the five other members surrounded her.

Jimin scrolled through Insta the next morning and burst into laughter as he saw the photos. Hopefully, things were beginning to get back to normal. Hopefully, this was a sign. His girlfriend was out with her friends and smiling, genuine smiles with genuine happiness.

Hopefully, this was going to last.

#

SeungCheol met MinYeon at the private gym and brought Hoshi along with him. They all sat on the padded floor and stretched while speaking about the purpose of their workout.

“Okay, so I’m a 3rd Dan. I found a Dojong, but I’m super rusty on sparring,” MinYeon looked up as JiYeon, NamJoon’s cousin joined them.

“I’m a 3rd Dan and Hoshi’s a 4th Dan. He was very good and set to go National, but decided to be an idol instead,” SeungCheol explained.

“Why on earth would you do that?” MinYeon asked seriously as they all laughed at her.

“I have no regrets most days,” SoonYoung shrugged his shoulders.

“This is Seo JiYeon, and she’s an MMA fighter sponsored by this gym. Don’t piss her off, because she’s fiercer than me.”

“Damn,” the men answered as she threw her head back in laughter.

After going through a few poomse and many rounds of sparring, they retreated to a pub for a few drinks before calling it a night. MinYeon walked into her apartment and stripped down, her eyes widening at the huge welts on her hips, legs, ribs, and arms. She took a few photos and sent them to Jimin.

MinMandooo: Light sparring tonight.

MinMandooo: Apparently, I’m a little rusty.

MinMandooo: That’s definitely going to leave a mark.

She hopped into the shower and changed into her night clothes before checking her phone to see that he had seen the texts, but didn’t answer. He must have been busy. After all, he was still in Taipei.

She sighed, resigning to the fact that she wouldn’t hear from him that night before sliding into bed and quickly falling asleep.

#

Jimin jumped off a plane from Hong Kong and sped through customs. He glanced at his watch repeatedly as he shifted back and forth on his feet. He had to make it on time, or it was useless. He had to make up for their last fight. He had to try to make her happy.

He couldn’t lose his baby.

As soon as the attendant returned his passport, he turned to TaeHyung and raised his eyebrows.

“Go. I’ve got it,” he assured him with a nod.

“Thanks, bro!” he dashed off before a manager could even hope to escort him through the airport.

As usual, there were three waiting cars to take them home. He jumped into the first one and spoke to the staff member. “I need to get to Gangnam before midnight. The others will ride together in the other cars.”

“Ne,” he nodded before throwing the car into gear and taking off.

He sat back with a grin on his face and pulled out his phone. He was going to make it. This was going to work. She was going to be happy.

“Do your managers know where you are?”

“Ne. SeJin-ssi authorized it,” he pursed his lips. He hated that he had to authorize a trip to see his own damned girlfriend. He hated that he had to keep his distance from her. He hated that he had to fuck her cousin to stay sane in all this… well, hate was a strong word in that case.

He gave him directions until they arrived at the alley next to her apartment.

“Thank you very much!” he bowed to him before jumping out and going through the parking garage to the elevator. He went on autopilot as he pulled his copy of her key out of his pocket and burst through the door.

MinYeon was in the kitchen, standing over a tiny portion of kimchi and microwaved rice, staring at him as he walked in.

“I made it!” he grinned brightly. “Happy Hug Day!” he held out his arms.

She burst into laughter before walking around the counter to melt into his arms. “You did.”

“Yes,” he purred in English. “My Baby,” he kissed her cheek and nuzzled against her.

It had been so long since the last time they were like this. He no longer stopped by unannounced. He no longer spoke to her without her initiating the conversation. He wasn’t even seen with her without a group of their friends around.

For the first time in a long time, her heart felt happy.

“I missed Movie Day and Wine Day and Photo Day… I had to be here for Hug Day.”

“Thank you, nae manggae-tteok,” she whispered into his chest.

“Are you eating dinner? This late?” he looked around the kitchen.

“SNU’s on winter break and Lay arrived in Seoul yesterday. It was also JongIn-oppa’s birthday…”

“That’s right,” he sighed. “I texted him this morning and still forgot,” he sighed.

“You performed in Hong Kong tonight, it’s understandable,” she chirped before looking up at him.

“I’ve missed this,” he kissed her.

Her favorite kiss. No one else in the world kissed her like he did. As long as she lived, he would always be the one who made her feel like they were the only two people in the world.

“Mmm,” he pulled away. “Please finish eating.”

“I want more than a hug,” she pushed her body against his. “Please stay for more than a hug.”

He cupped her face in his hands as he pressed his lips against hers. It had been three months since the last time they made love without roommates around or it being makeup sex due to a fight. He missed this connection with her. He missed his girlfriend.

“Jimin-ah,” she whispered against his lips.

“I have rehearsals and recordings tomorrow, but I’ll make it work. I’m all yours tonight.”

She grinned before nipping at his lips.

He picked her up by her ass as she wrapped her legs around him and then walked her to her room. Her lamp was on and her MacBook on the bed, telling him that she had been working on a new song. He was relived because that mean she hadn’t been with another man that night. For the first time in a long time, he felt normal. This is what it was like before he left for tour. This is what it was like before the SM scandal. This is the way things were supposed to be.

“God, I’ve missed you,” he murmured as he lay her on the bed. He kissed her neck as he moved his hands to the waist of her workout pants before pulling back to bring them down her legs. He immediately noticed a huge bruise on her hip and sat back on his knees as his eyes widened. “What the hell happened?”

“Hmm?” she pushed through the haze of lust and blinked her eyes. “Wh… this?” she turned to her side to show him the nearly black bruise.

“My God, Baby. What are you doing to yourself?” he looked her over for other bruises and noticed a few on her forearm as well.

Her mouth dropped open as tears filled her eyes. He really hadn’t read her texts. He really had been ignoring her.

Her chest tightened as she slid away and grabbed her pants from the floor.

“Min-ah…” he reached for her.

“Read your fucking texts,” she growled while pulling away. “I told you… I tell you everything,” she hissed. “Did you even know that I was attacked again last week? An angry fan pulled my hair as Yuta and I were leaving a restaurant! For some damned reason, sasaengs really like to pull my hair!”

“What?” he was genuinely confused.

She pursed her lips together as she reached into his pocket for his phone. He watched as she opened it with the code and went to his text messages. She scrolled through message after unread message until she came across the one from a few days earlier, with a photo of her hip.

Minion_95: Light sparring tonight.

Minion_95: Apparently, I’m a little rusty.

Minion_95: That’s definitely going to leave a mark.

His face fell as he realized just how many times she had texted him and he ignored them. He looked up to see the look on her face and felt like dying. “I’m sorry,” he reached for her.

“You promised to stop ignoring me,” she angered. “This isn’t how it’s supposed to be! Why would you ignore someone you claim to love?!”

“I know, Baby. It was supposed to be easy and it’s not. You’re protecting us all by yourself and… I’ve punished you for it.”

Tears fell down her cheeks. “I’m done with constantly being hurt by you. I’m done being with men just to distance myself from Bangtan. I’m done with crazy fans breaking into my apartment and following me. I’m done with Korea and their harsh criticism of every fucking thing I do. I don’t want to be here anymore!”

“Let me fix this,” he slid to the edge of the bed. “I’ll speak to my managers. They said this would only last to the end of the year, right? We’re here. We’re done. Please let me fix this.”

She shook her head and looked away.

“I can’t lose you,” his eyes reddened. “You are my twin, the other half of my soul. I won’t lose you because…”

“This… is all you!” she angered. “The night we committed, you told TaeHyung that we would have to be with other people to keep our relationship safe. Not once have you ever been okay with that!”

He closed his eyes. “I know. I’m an idiot.”

“All we do is fight and fuck. That’s what I did with every other boyfriend I ever had. It wasn’t supposed to be that way with you. I love you so much… and I know I will feel like half my soul has died if we break up… but I can’t do this anymore… and as bad as it will hurt, it’s still not nearly as bad as this hurts right now!” she broke into sobs as he jumped up and pulled her into his arms.

“We’ll fix this,” he kissed her hair. “We have to fix this,” he too cried. “I love you so much, Min-ah.”

She cried into his chest as he held her, letting out all of the frustrations and anger she had been holding in for the past three months. Suddenly, she pulled away and ran to the bathroom. He threw his head back in frustration as he heard her vomiting the entire contents of her stomach, which he knew damn well was most likely her only meal for the day.

He slowly walked in and went on autopilot, filling a glass with water and preparing her toothbrush before reaching for a towel and running it under cold water. She flushed the toilet and reached for the towel, patting her face and mouth before using the toothbrush.

“The medicine’s not helping?” he asked softly.

She shook her head before spitting into the sink and rinsing her mouth. “Every month, I’ve had my vitamin levels checked and every month I get a vitamin shot. The meds help me eat more, but that just means I throw up more,” she sighed.

“It’s been like this since LA.”

“Every time I think it’s getting better… something else happens and I start all over again.”

“I really wish they could figure out what’s wrong,” he sighed. “You’re losing your squishy cheeks,” he watched her.

“I think that’s why I’m bruising so badly, too. Eomma made me promise to go back to the doctor if it isn’t better by the first of the year.”

“That’s a really good idea.”

She nodded and looked away.

“Hey,” he grabbed her wrist and pulled her in for a hug. “Trust me?”

She sighed before nodding her head again.

“Let me fix this.”

She looked up at him and searched his eyes.

“I have no future if it isn’t with you. I don’t care if we never get married or if we have a dozen kids together…”

She finally smiled at him.

“Whatever I do… I want you by my side when I do it.”

“Please stop seeing EunJae,” she whispered. “I know you’ve been with her. She has no idea we’re together and always calls to tell me how romantic her Jimin-ie is,” she rolled her eyes.

“Okay,” he answered quickly. “Done. What’s next?”

“Answer your fucking texts.”

“I promise.”

“That’s all I want.”

“No it’s not,” he smiled smugly.

“No, it’s not,” she kissed him.

#

MinYeon sat on the sofa and nibbled on a rice cake as she watched Inkigayo. EXO, NCT127, Red Velvet, Jennie, Mamamoo, Day6, JBJ95, Laboum, and Lovelyz, among the many other acts, were performing and she wanted to see her friends, even though they were much too busy to do so in person.

She applauded Day6 as her phone rang. She was both surprised and confused as she answered. “Yeobosayo?”

“Hey Baby,” Jimin purred. It had been so long since the last time that happened, she didn’t know how to respond. “Bbang-tteok-ie?”

“Hi,” she muted the television. “Shouldn’t you be in rehearsals right now?”

“We took a break for food,” he glanced around the empty rehearsal room. “I’ll eat when I’m finished speaking to you.”

She raised her eyebrows. He was apparently very serious about things getting back to normal with them.

“I spoke with everyone today and made it clear that we were finished with this shit.”

“What did they say?”

“They’re planning a couples’ trip for all of us for Christmas.”

“What? How is that possible?”

“We’re going to rehearse like crazy for both Gayo Daejeon and Gayo Daechukjae and get our pre-recordings finished early. Then, after Daejeon on the 25th, we’ll take off for a pension and come home on the 27th.”

“It’s going to be filmed, isn’t it?” she felt the hope welling in her chest flow away.

“I know it’s not perfect, but I’ve been promised that we’ll have more privacy than in LA. They’ll only film when more than one couple is together.”

She rolled her eyes around the room. He was right, it was better than nothing. “Okay.”

“Okay?” he chirped.

“Yeah.”

“Awesome,” he sighed. “What are you doing today?”

“Right now, watching my brother on Inkigayo. My peer group wants to meet up for drinks, but I’m not really in the mood. It’s too cold outside.”

“Ah, but now you need to go shopping. We need couple clothes for next week.”

“We do,” she smiled. “I can definitely do that. I’ll call Mommy to come with me.”

“I’ll send information on the pension we’re going to so you can… do what you do.”

“Okay. I’ll call Hannah-eunnie and Seouli so we can plan.”

“That’s My Baby,” he purred.

“Go eat.”

“Okay. I love you, Bbang-tteok-ie.”

“I love you too, Manggae-tteok-ie.” She sighed as she sat back and thought things over. She didn’t want to get her hopes up, but she was actually getting excited. She didn’t think she was going to be able to spend time with her boyfriend for Christmas, and yet now they were going away.

She immediately received his text, that had forwarded information about the Korea Palace in Pyeongchang and raised her eyebrows. She clicked on the link to find a traditional luxury hotel on Balwang Mountain in Gangwon province. “As South Korea's most luxurious hotel, Korea Palace Palace offers a stay in a beautiful and authentic Hanok under Balwang Mountain. Korea Palace is a reproduction of a Goryeo-era Palace where you can enjoy a magnificent view of the surrounding nature. As Korea Palace was built in the Goryeo-era which is defined as a marked Buddhist period in Korean history, an iconic 108 steps lead to Korea Palace,” she read. “Korea Palace also has an eco-friendly Korean restaurant and the establishment is fit to accommodate even the most important of VIPs.”

She immediately wondered what Jimin told them to make Big Hit kiss the asses of the girlfriends so thoroughly.

Lucky13: We are renting the entire Balwang guest house.

Lucky13: We will have breakfast provided in the mornings and a private chef the only evening we’re there.

Lucky13: We were asked to choose between a kimchi making class or a rice cake making class.

MinMandooo: If you choose poorly, I’m not coming.

She bit her lip and waited for his reply.

Lucky13: Team MinMochiMin wouldn’t be caught dead at a kimchi class.

MinMandooo: And the others?

Lucky13: I am a great negotiator.

MinMandooo: Truth. You’re eating right now, yes?

He immediately sent a selca of himself with a bowl of donkatsu and rice as TaeHyung and JeongGuk waved from beside him.

Lucky13: Would you rather go skiing, to a sheep ranch, or horseback riding?

MinMandooo: Skiing, but you can’t get hurt.

Lucky13: I’ll be fine. Skiing it is.

She smirked as she dialed her phone and waited for her mother to pick up. “Mommy!”

“Hello, my angel. Are you watching Inkigayo?”

“I am,” she glanced at the television to see that a group she had no interest in were on. “Did you see Day6? That is DoWoon-ie’s group.”

“I liked them.”

“Good,” she sighed. “I just received a call from Jimin-ie and it appears as though we are going on a couples’ trip for Christmas.”

“I’m sad that you won’t be home, but it makes me happy that you’re spending time together. You really need this!”

“Very, very true.”

“Do you think Yuta-chan will still want to stay with us?”

“He is close with MinSeok-ie, he might. Please be persuasive.”

“I will. Do you need to go shopping?”

“I’ve been practically commanded to do so.”

“Okay. Let’s go tomorrow and make a day of it. You can take me to the fancy shops you like to buy your European bobbles from.”

“It’s a date.”

Later that night, after going through her closet to pick out a few items for her trip, her phone rang yet again. She rolled her neck and prepared herself for a conversation with her favorite Scorpio.

“Mokarimakka?”

“Doshitan?”

“Nothing’s wrong, why?”

“Your Obahan just called to tell me you aren’t coming home for Christmas.”

“I’m going away with Jimin-ie for a few days. Big Hit is planning it, I just found out about it a few hours ago.”

“Ah,” he sighed. “She wants me to keep my plans.”

“You can stay in my room.”

“Can I go through your stuff?”

“Sure. I don’t keep that much there, except skin care. Go for it.”

He laughed at her for a moment. “So… is this a thing? Are you guys getting back to normal?”

“I’ve been told that this is the start of it. I really hope so.”

“Okay. I’m really going to miss flipping off sasaengs when we’re together.”

“I know, but concessions must be made,” she teased him. “You can still take me out for sushi.”

“That’s a deal. Hona mata?”

“See you later,” she replied as they ended the call.

#

MinYeon unloaded her shopping bags and began to go through Jimin’s suitcase. All he had packed so far were undergarments and toiletries. He was leaving everything else to her. She smiled as she folded sweaters, hoodies, and pants that matched the ones in her suitcase. As she walked off to his closet to pick out boots, Hannah stepped in and looked around.

“We’ll be there for two days, you know,” she crossed her arms.

“There are three activities tomorrow and one or two the day after. Since it’s being recorded, I thought he’d want to wear different clothes. Plus, some of it might get dirty,” she explained.

She looked her over, noting her slashed, black skinny jeans, black long-sleeved shirt, winter vest, and Vans. “It’s a road trip, why do you always have to make it a spectacle?”

She raised her eyebrows at her tone of voice and stopped. “Is something wrong, Eunnie?”

She rolled her eyes. “I’m curious… I’ve been doing this Bangtan girlfriend thing for a year now, yet you complain once and we get a really fancy trip out of it. Why are you so damned special?”

She sucked her bottom lip into her mouth and stared at her. No one else knew what she had to go through as a Bangtan girlfriend. No one else knew that she and Jimin were on the verge of breaking up. She certainly didn’t know how badly her words were hurting her at that moment. “I don’t presume to know their minds,” she answered cryptically. “Perhaps you should ask them?”

“Can you not just wear jeans and a hoodie? You make us look like slobs.”

“I’m sorry,” she bowed lowly. “I’ll try to be more humble.”

She rolled her eyes. “That’s not what I meant, MinYeon-ie…”

“I think… this was meant to be a reward for my burdens. I would prefer it not to have been a part of ‘Bangtan Seonyeoja,’ but at least I get to spend time with my boyfriend. I’m sorry you do not agree.”

“What burdens do you bear? You’re fucking like three guys on the side and going out nearly every night to clubs and bars with half of SM Entertainment’s lineup!”

She bit her tongue and looked away. “I need to finish packing,” she bowed before walking back into the closet.

She glared after her before stomping back down to Jin’s room.

Seouli peeked out of NamJoon’s room and slowly slinked down to Jin’s room. “What’ going on? I heard yelling?”

“The fucking princess is, as usual, packing a $10,000 wardrobe for a two-day trip!” she complained.

“Joon-ie did say that Jimin called her and told her to buy matching clothes. They never get to spend time together, so he wants to pack in every couple-thing on this trip,” she smiled.

“Never get to spend time together, he’s with her all the fucking time!”

She raised her eyebrows. “I’m not sure if I know more because I’m the leader’s girlfriend, but… they almost broke up, Eunnie.”

She looked confused before sitting on the end of the bed. “What?”

“She dates other guys to keep attention on herself and away from Bangtan. If they’re seen in public together, it has to be planned and with a group of friends—and they most likely don’t even know they’re together. Sasaengs are following her, she’s had her apartment broken into, she’s been attacked, and the comments on Social Media are brutal. Jimin-ie gets jealous of her dates and… I’ve heard… is dating her cousin who looks a lot like her. TaeHyung-ie thinks they’re on the verge of imploding.”

“Jin hasn’t told me shit,” she sighed.

“She hasn’t been the same since LA,” she whispered. “Jimin-ie and YoonGi-oppa speak a lot about her mental condition, and she looks like she only weighs about 90 pounds. I know you’re busy with your own career and you don’t get very much time with your boyfriend either, but… all seven of them are worried about her right now. I’ve caught Jeong-Guk-ie sending food to her apartment a few times.”

“I didn’t know any of this,” she sighed. “I’m such an ass.”

“I’m not sure if a few nights in Pyeongchang are enough to save them, but they do need some time together.”

She nodded her understanding.

The front door opened just after midnight and the mansion filled with voices as the men made beelines for their rooms.

Jimin walked in to see MinYeon still packing. “You’re not finished?” he laughed at her.

She raised her eyebrows and turned to him. “Is it too much? I think… maybe… I got carried away.”

“Overkill is underrated,” he looked around. “This is great, Baby. What’s wrong?”

She shook her head and looked away.

“No, no, no,” he wrapped his arms around her. “This isn’t supposed to be stressful. You were so happy with your shopping earlier, what happened?”

Her chest began to tighten as she squatted down and covered her head with her arms.

“Baby,” he knelt beside her and rubbed her back. “Deep breaths.”

Jin popped his head in and raised his eyebrows. Jimin looked up and met his eyes, mouthing the words, “What the fuck happened?”

“Shit,” he sighed. “She didn’t know, Yeon-ah… It’s my fault… I haven’t told her anything.”

“It wouldn’t hurt so badly if it wasn’t true,” she mumbled.

Jimin was beside himself as he looked at Jin. “What happened?” he asked out loud.

“Hannah was frustrated and made a lot of comments she didn’t mean,” he explained.

“She told me I had no burdens because I was fucking three guys on the side and clubbing every night, and that we should dress down for the trip because you and I make everyone else look like slobs,” MinYeon pushed up and walked to the closet.

Jimin’s mouth dropped open as he looked away. “Fuck me,” he groaned.

“Seouli informed her of the situation,” Jin nodded. “I’m sorry.”

“This is exactly why she wants to leave,” huffed before rolling his eyes and running his fingers through his hair. “I can’t really blame her.”

“I’ll buy you some time to calm her down,” he nodded before walking out.

He smirked. The assumption that she was even going at that point was ridiculous. After a few deep breaths, he walked into the closet to see her putting things away. He leaned against his drawers and crossed his arms. “She didn’t know, Baby.”

“Neither do my classmates or family members or people on the Internet, but they all seem to say the same things.”

“I get it Baby. What people think of you is important to you. Trust me, I completely understand that. We can’t let that push us apart.”

“She’s my eunnie,” she whined. “She knows my brother and my family and STILL thinks those things…”

“You get frustrated sometimes and say things you don’t mean too. We all do. Whatever it is she’s angry about, it’s about her. Please don’t let it ruin our time together.”

“Jimin…”

He smiled as he stood straight and took a step toward her. “I need my Min-ah time, and I’m going to throw a fit if I don’t get it.”

She pursed her lips. “Please don’t…”

“You’re my squishy rice cake and I don’t give a fuck about anyone else. You are going to have my full attention for the next 38 hours,” he took another step and stopped, looking straight down at her with his intense, sexy gaze. “The longer we stand here, the longer we will have to wait for the camera crew to leave us alone when we get there.”

“True.”

“So kiss me and let’s finish packing.”

She finally smiled before pushing up to her toes to kiss him.

#

They finally loaded up and left, Jin driving with Hannah in the passenger seat, with NamJoon and Seouli in the middle, and Jimin and MinYeon in the back. They were traveling in a very nice, decked out, highly electronic van that the group used to travel long distances in, and the girls were in awe of the bells and whistles.

“This button reclines your seat,” NamJoon demonstrated.

“This is a charging pad for your phone,” Jimin pointed.

“You have your own heat and cooling controls,” Jin showed Hannah.

“Nice,” MinYeon snuggled back into her seat and pulled up her favorite fluffy pink Chanel throw blanket.

“So… are we alone for the car ride?” Seouli looked around as Hannah and MinYeon smirked at her.

“There are cameras everywhere in here, and they have infrared for shooting in the dark,” NamJoon informed her. “If we’re together, we’re being filmed.”

“Ah,” she sighed.

“Do we have itineraries?” MinYeon asked Jimin.

“Yup!”

“Can I see them?”

“Nope!” he laughed at her. “I know you’ll like the plans, so just relax.”

She lay her cheek against the seat and smiled at him. “Okay.”

“Okay,” he took her hands. “You look tired, Baby.”

“I haven’t been sleeping well, so instead of trying I’ve been writing.”

“What kinds of songs?”

“Sad ones,” she sighed. “JiYong-ie-oppa had a pass and came over to check on me last night, we stayed up all night playing music,” she smirked.

“No sadness for the next few days,” he reached out and drew his thumb down her cheek. “Only happy thoughts with me.”

She smiled for him and nodded. “Okay.”

He watched as she slowly closed her eyes. A sad smiled crept to his face as he thought back to the texts he had finally taken the time to read over. She hadn’t slept well in a long time. She had been having nightmares when she did fall asleep.

An hour into the trip, the van hit a bump and everyone inside jumped.

“Sorry!” Jin called from the driver seat as everyone else looked around.

“What the hell,” Jimin mumbled sleepily before pulling against his seatbelt and reaching over to pull MinYeon closer. She shared her blanked with him and smiled before falling back asleep.

It was past three in the morning when the couples arrived at the hotel. They followed their welcoming party to the guesthouse and were immediately in awe of the historical reproduction of the house they were to stay in. Jimin pulled MinYeon by the hand as cameras followed each couple around to look at the dining room, main room, spa bathroom, and bedrooms.

“There are two very nice rooms and a loft with a futon,” their producer spoke to them off camera.

“Oh no,” Jimin turned to him. “What do we have to do?”

“Aish,” NamJoon tilted his head. He did not want to sleep on the floor with his girlfriend.

“I’m old, and she’s older,” SeokJin pointed to Hannah. “We should win a better room by default.”

“I can’t argue with that,” MinYeon purred without looking at them as Jimin’s eyes widened and he bit down on his lips in surprise. Savage MinYeon had returned once more.

“Fair is fair,” the producer laughed. “Let’s play a game.”

They left their suitcases at the door and walked into the main room. There, then knelt onto pillows at a long table made from a single slice of wood from a tree and waited. The women sat along one side and the men across from them with a small white board and pen.

“Okay, let’s see how well you know one another.”

Jimin smirked as he nodded at MinYeon.

“How is this fair?” Seouli whispered.

“We will ask a question and the men will write the answer on their boards. Then, the women will answer and we’ll see if they are correct.”

They nodded their understanding.

“Okay… what is the last song he listened to on his phone?”

Jin smirked and wrote his answer as NamJoon nodded and did the same. Jimin stared at MinYeon for a moment before writing. When they were finished, they dropped their pens.

“Answers?”

Hannah watched Jin for a moment. “He’s been listening to the new Maroon 5 song constantly. What’s it called… “’Girls Like You?’”

His face fell as he turned around the board. “’All I Want For Christmas Is You?’ What?! You hate Christmas music!”

“No I don’t!” he chirped. “I was getting in the mood!”

The others laughed at them.

“Damn it,” she whined.

“Next!”

Seouli stared at NamJoon playfully before answering. “’Wake Up In The Sky’ by Bruno Mars.”

“My girl!” he exclaimed as he turned the board around and nodded.

They all turned to MinYeon and waited. She tilted her head and read his eyes for a moment. “Seriously?” she squealed.

He burst into laughter as everyone else seemed confused. “He listened to “When The Party’s Over’ by Billie Eilish,” she answered confidently.  
“Stalker,” he she hissed.

“Of course,” he turned the board around to prove that she was right.

“That’s the most depressing song I’ve ever heard,” Seouli looked concerned. “Are you okay, Jimin-ie?”

“I’m fine,” he smiled for her.

“Okay now switch.”

The men wiped down the board and passed them across the table.

MinYeon flashed her eyes at Jimin before turning to the producer.

“Same question!”

Hannah pulled her phone out and checked it before answering as Seouli and MinYeon quickly wrote down their answers.

“Answers?”

Jin grinned and nodded his head. “She’s usually playing Christmas songs on shuffle this time of year, so I be it’s ‘Oh Holy Night’ by Josh Groban.”

“Wow,” she turned her board around. “I’m shocked.”

“I knows my girl,” he purred.

NamJoon rolled his eyes and looked across at Seouli. “She had her pods up loud, it was ‘Thanks, Next’ by Ariana Grande.”

She pursed her eyebrows together. “It changed as we unloaded,” she showed him ‘Myself’ by Monsta X.

“Good taste,” MinYeon purred smugly.

“Good song,” she held her hand out as they fist-bumped.

“The last answer?” the producer tried to keep them on track. The crew was just as tired as they were.

Jimin smiled as he stared down his girlfriend. “She listens to music according to her mood. I try to spy on her by hacking into her listening history. I was listening to Billie Eilish because that was the last thing she listened to before she got to the mansion.”

Min Yeon nodded silently before turning her board around. “It’s called ‘stalking’ by the way,” she complained.

“Not when you have permission,” he argued.

“Hacking is not permission,” she argued.

“I know your passwords.”

“Yes, because you hack them.”

“I can’t help it because we have the same birthday and I know how you think.”

“I’ve kind of missed this,” Seouli looked at NamJoon.

“Me too,” he laughed.

“You two, pick your room. You four, tie breaker.”

“Thank you!” Jimin jumped up and grabbed MinYeon’s hand, pulling her off to pick a bedroom.

They heard room 103 slam shut before bursting into laughter.

As soon as the door was closed, Jimin pounced on her, kissing her with all he had. For them, a kiss was never a kiss—it was an event; and one they had missed desperately.

They left a trail of clothes as they made their way to the bed. She climbed into the middle and waited as he crawled up to stop at her ankles. She smiled and bit her lip as he brushed his lips across her soft skin on the inside of her ankles. Carefully, slowly, he kissed the inside of her ankle, letting her scent and taste intoxicate him.

Her mind whirled at the sensations he was causing, the electricity coursing through her body as it ignited. It was like a drug, overwhelming her senses and utterly addictive. No man had every made her feel these things before, not even if the sex was good. This… was something she only shared with Jimin.

He made his way up her leg and continued nibbling away at her knee. She closed her eyes and burst into laughter, her body pulling away.

“Ticklish?” he grinned without stopping.

“Apparently so,” she giggled. “That’s new.”

“Perhaps I should just go… slower,” he brought his fingertips up the inside of her thigh.

“Take as long as you want,” she closed her eyes once again and dropped her head back as he kissed a trail up her belly to between her breasts. Her body enjoyed the feelings of his hands and mouth on her and it had been so long since they were last like this, intimate in a way that only they were.

He made his way to her neck before kissing her deeply and slowly pushing his way inside her. His fingers dug into her hips as she let out an excited sigh.

For them, sex was always fun. Sometimes it was kinky, and sometimes it was quick, and they had tried every position ever created—but they rarely partook in deep, soul-binding, deeply-moving love making. That involved deep emotions that neither enjoyed expressing, but tonight was different. Tonight, it was extremely necessary to bring everything onto the table and prove that they were meant to be together.

They moved slowly, and held onto one another tightly. Minutes seemed like hours as they worshiped one another, their souls seemingly intertwined as she exploded into bliss. As she threw her head back and struggled to catch her breath, he took the opportunity to taste the skin of her shoulder, dampened with sweat and saturated with heat.

“You taste so good,” he whispered happily against her skin.

“As do you,” she pulled his bottom lip into her mouth with a wicked grin. Raking her nails down his back, she brought her knees up and encouraged him to thrust deeper as he moaned.

He began to breathe harder as another orgasm began to tighten around him. She threw her head back and gasped for air as her feet encouraged his thrusting by guiding him on the backs of his thighs.

He laced his fingers though those of her right hand as he kept his body hovered over hers with his right, his eyes intense, yet gentle as everything exploded.

She screamed out her release as his came in the form of a groan, their bodies damp and limp as they lay together on the bed.

He rested on his side, propped up onto his elbow as he brushed his fingertips across her forehead and looked into her eyes as they misted over with tears. “Baby…” he whispered.

“I miss this so much,” she clamped her eyes shut. “I miss us.”

“We haven’t been us since September.”

She pressed her lips against his as he slid his knee between hers and pressed their bodies together.

“I have a good feeling about this,” he spoke before kissing her chin. “I think next year’s going to be much better than this one.”

“Me too,” she smiled at him.

#

The next morning, each couple arrived at the breakfast table in matching robes, their faces and eyes puffy from the long day before.

“I fully expected you two to be in pink Chanel,” MiHyeon smirked toward Jimin and MinYeon.

“I’m so sorry to disappoint you,” MinYeon’s eyes remained on the tray of fruit before them.

She sighed before glancing at her boyfriend. “Yeon-ah, I’m sorry,” she pressed her hands together and bowed to her. “I didn’t know…”

“No,” she flashed her eyes at her. “You didn’t know about the situation, but you do know me. You know my brother. You know my family. You made many assumptions despite knowing us very well.”

She sighed as she nodded her head. “I will never do so again.”

“I sincerely hope not,” she nodded.

Lunch was followed by a private rice cake class for all three couples. Cameras caught every angle possible as the six laughed and enjoyed their time together.

“We should start a Japanese rice cake company,” Jimin suggested.

“MinMin Mochi?” MinYeon suggested.

“MinMochiMin Mochi,” Jin laughed heartily.

“Why Japanese? It could be Min Tteok,” NamJoon suggested.

“MinMin Tteok,” Seouli giggled. “In fifty years it will be the official name of squishy rice cakes.”

“Yes,” Jimin nodded his head. “Fifty years. I like that.”

MinYeon giggled as he kissed her cheek.

After lunch together in town, the couples split up. MinMin went snowboarding, SeokHyeon went horseback riding, and SeoulJoon went to a sheep farm. They met back up in town that night for snacks and to meet with fortune tellers.

Jimin held MinYeon’s hand as they gave their personal information and waited.

“You are the same in most ways, but very different in others,” the woman made notes while adding many numbers together. “You both believe in honesty, but will not hesitate to lie to keep your friends happy. You want them to see the best in you and don’t like to show your emotions.”

“You feel the need for approval,” she pointed to Jimin, “while you need to please everyone,” she pointed to MinYeon.

She glanced at one another and nodded.

“It is difficult for you to settle down. You need constant admiration and flattery and feel trapped by routine. You have a wandering eye,” she looked up at Jimin and then tilted her head. “I see that in your numbers, but I don’t feel that from your aura. Your wandering eye has focused on one.”

He smiled at her. “Ne.”

“You are feminine, but very strong. You only date gorgeous men, which impairs your judgement. You often fall into the wrong relationship over pretty looks. You move from man to man in your search for perfection,” she looked up at MinYeon and tilted her head again. “Again… your aura feels different. You have found your perfection. You are the most domesticated October-born woman I’ve ever seen.”

“Me? Domesticated?” she covered her mouth while laughing.

“Do you cook?”

“She’s a very good cook,” Jimin answered.

“Do you keep a clean house?”

“Debatably,” she acknowledged.

“Do you mother and take care of your friends?”

“Oh yeah,” the both answered.

“Huh,” Jimin smirked.

“You are both very influential to others. You’re both free spirits, but also like routine. You balance yourselves that way. Even when hurt, you find strength to trust again.”

Her eyes immediately turned to MinYeon. “You hold onto your sadness and stress in your stomach. Right now, the sadness is winning. You will finally be over this illness when you are truly happy.”

Her mouth dropped open as Jimin sighed.

“You carry your sadness in your neck and back. You will have chronic pain with no relief until you are truly happy.”

“Do you have any idea when that might be?” she asked softly.

“You share a special number of 13, but there are not 13 signs of the zodiac. If we consider a 13th sign as The Year of the Rat, I would predict 2020.”

“That’s just a little over a year,” Jimin sat back with a bright grin. “That is extremely doable!”

An extremely fancy dinner where gifts were exchanged was followed by a late-night trip to the spa. They then returned to their rooms and changed into matching pajamas before meeting at the table for drinks. Of course, drinks turned into drinking games and it was nearly two in the morning before they turned in for the evening.

MinYeon stared at the ceiling as Jimin rubbed lotion onto his face before climbing into be beside her. “Do you think it’s true? 2020?”

“I think she gave a goal to shoot for. I think… next year will speed by, between my touring and your internship. Once we’re together again we’ll only have a few months left before 2020. We can make it. We can do this.”

She smiled at him. “I can’t wait to be truly happy.”

“Me neither, Baby. If I’m happy with you like this… I can’t imagine what it will be like then. I will remember her words and hold onto them until then.”

She smiled before kissing him.

#

The next morning, after breakfast, the couples met for a yoga session. They all sat on their mats and waited as their instructor arrived and introduced herself.

“Hello, I am Jung BoYa. I am a registered yoga instructor and will be teaching you a few things today.”

“Hello,” they bowed.

“The basic definition of yoga is yoke or union — the work of uniting your mind, body and spirit. Much like [Tantra](https://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-5910/4-Tantric-Yoga-Poses-for-Partners-Who-Want-a-Deeper-Connection.html), couples yoga deepens the practice by including your lover in postures where breathing and moving together is key.”

“I’m sorry, did you say Tantra?” Seouli chirped as MinYeon burst into giggles.

“I did,” she nodded.

MinYeon and Jimin leaned toward one another and bumped their fists.

“Couples yoga involves one practitioner acting as the base, and the other the flier. These roles ideally, are interchangeable. The benefits of practicing yoga with a partner are endless, but some include improved levels of communication, deeper expressions of postures and the encouragement of trust.”

“Baby, I want to trust the crap out of you,” SeokJin whispered to MiHyeon as she burst into laughter.

“They’re not going to ever be able to air this,” NamJoon laughed.

“Before you get started, sit across from your partner and get in touch with their breath. Place one hand on your heart and the other over your partner's hand, which is already on their heart. Begin inhaling and exhaling together, feeling the beating of the other's heart and then switch sides.”

They did as told and sat quietly, breathing deeply.

“The first pose is a seated twist. Sit the same way you are in the easy pose, back to back. Inhale your arms up. Exhale and twist to the right. Reach your right hand for your partner's left knee or thigh.”

“Let me know if it hurts your back,” MinYeon whispered to Jimin.

“The stretching will probably be good.”

“With every inhale, lengthen and find more space. And with each exhale, utilize your partner's knee to gently twist a bit deeper. See if you can synchronize your breathing.”

SeokJin burst out laughing as MiHyeon grasped his thigh. “Lower, please,” he mumbled as the others also laughed.

In fact, there were no poses in which laughter wasn’t heard that morning, even through assisted back bends.

Once class was over, they were given free time. Of course, the Libras went off for a nap as SeokHyeon went exploring the city and SeoulJoon went to the museum.

Photo shoots of the couples on the balconies overlooking the snow, as well as other beautiful parts of the hotel were followed by the pack-up and dinner in town before they made the drive back to Seoul. Since there was a festival show the next night, the girls were dropped off at their apartments and the guys went straight to rehearsal.

“Will you watch me tomorrow night?” Jimin asked her as he walked her in.

“Seouli, Eunnie, and I are meeting for dinner and then going to Eunnie’s place to watch.”

“Good. I will be singing to you, then.”

“I can’t wait,” she kissed him.

“Thank you,” he whispered. “I’m so glad we did this.”

“Me too. The new year is already looking much better.”

“I love you, Baby.”

“I love you too,” she smiled as he walked out the door.

#

“Oh my gosh, that was definitely some hot yoga,” Seouli fanned herself as the other two giggled.

“Jin has never been that ticklish before,” MiHyeon purred.

“Do you really think we took a nap afterward?” MinYeon smirked.

“No, that’s why we left,” MiHyeon laughed at her.

“You two seem to be doing better,” Seouli watched her.

“Things are getting better,” she nodded. “It helps when I’m allowed to actually see him.”

“Yeah,” they agreed.

“I’m sorry, Yeon-ah. I honestly didn’t know you had been blacked out,” MiHyeon sighed.

“It was right after he got home, too. We had so many plans, and I had missed him so much,” she rolled her eyes.

“So… the Yuta thing?”

“We are really good friends. My family loves him… my Obahan would marry him if she were seventy years younger,” she laughed. “He hates my indecisiveness and I think he’s rude and disrespectful… for what it is, it works. He takes care of me when Jimin-ie can’t.”

“And WonHo?”

“A distraction,” she shrugged her shoulders. “We hook up occasionally and are seen together for the benefit of paparazzi. It’s what Big Hit wants. If cameras are focused on us, you guys are safe.”

“I can’t imagine,” Seouli angered. “Neither of you are okay with that arrangement.”

“We were told by a fortune teller that it will last until 2020 and then we will find true happiness. I have hope that it will be worth it.”

MiHyeon noticed a table of girls staring at her and watched them for a moment.

MinYeon received a text and burst into a grin. “YoonGi’s performing our song tonight. He’s excited for me to see it.”

“You saw him perform it, several times.”

“I guess this is different? Jimin-ie also wants me to watch.”

“We should probably head to my place, then,” MiHyeon looked up again to find the girls were gone.

“Yes!” Seouli clapped her hands togther.

“I’ve got this,” MinYeon paid for their meal and drinks before they stepped out onto the street.

They walked together, getting closer to the curb to avoid a group of people. MinYeon looked up to see a white car speeding toward them.

“Hannah!” she grabbed her by the arm and pushed her back toward the sidewalk as the car swerved and clipped her, sending her flying ten feet into the air. The last thing she remembered was getting a glimpse of the car’s occupants before hitting the ground.

“MinYeon-ah!” Seouli screamed as MiHyeon sat dazed on the sidewalk.

MinYeon’s eyes rolled around in her head as her ears rang loudly. Everything from her waist down was in excruciating pain as she fought to catch her breath.

“I called an ambulance!” a man who saw the incident dropped to his knees. He pulled off his jacket and wadded it up, sliding it under her head.

“Yeon-ie,” MiHyeon crawled to her and took her hand. “You saved me.”

Her eyes fluttered a few times as her hands shook from the pain. “I can’t move,” she managed out.

“Lie still. You might do more damage if you move right now.”

Dispatch reporters began to arrive, taking photos of the scene as MiHyeon shot an evil glare at them. “Did any of you catch this on your camera?”

“Where do you want it sent?”

“She’s the sister of EXO’s Xiumin!”

His face fell as he nodded. “Right away.”

MinYeon was in and out of consciousness as she was loaded up onto the ambulance. Even though she was also injured, MiHyeon went into manager mode and immediate began making phones calls. The first call was to SeJin. If the boys saw this on the news before they were notified, it would be very bed. Then, she called the Kim family.

“We need to stabilize your arm,” the medic pleaded with her as she sat back and nodded.

#

MinSeok was about to hand his phone over to his manager when he received two texts at the same time. One was from his mother, and the other from his former manager. They both instructed him to call them after the show.

He rolled his eyes around in confusion for a moment before handing it off.

SeJin gathered all seven of the cell phones from Bangtan and looked around as they all began to buzz. He hoped they didn’t notice because they were about to take the stage. He quickly nodded to the other managers and left the room as YoonGi raised his eyebrows.

“He’s not walking us to the stage?”

“He always walks with us,” JeongGuk looked at the other managers.

“He received an urgent phone call from the company. He’ll be there when it’s over.”

NamJoon frowned as he looked between all of them.

NCT sat in their dressing room and had their makeup touched up after their performance. Yuta reached for his phone to see that he had a text from one of his sisters. It was a Japanese news link from a breaking story in South Korea. He grabbed Johnny’s arm and showed him just before Johnny took off for EXO’s dressing room.

NaYeon ran through the halls to find Hwasa as JeongHan leaned against the wall of a hallway to catch his breath.

They all took their seats as they were supposed to, but no one could focus on the performance. Even the announcers had begun to check on their phones periodically for updates.

Bangtan finished their performance and returned to their dressing room, bowing and nodding to EXO as they passed them. SeJin gathered them and had the door locked as they looked around, very confused.

“You did very well tonight. It was a great performance,” he nodded.

“They why don’t you look happy?” SeokJin laughed at him.

He let out a breath before turning his sad eyes to Jimin.

“What is it?” he asked slowly.

“MiHyeon, Seouli, and MinYeon we to a restaurant together tonight for dinner and drinks. They were leaving to go home and watch the show when they were hit by a car.”

All color drained from their faces as they waited for more information.

“The news is all over the place, but our update from the Kim family is that MiHyeon is in surgery to reset a broken arm. MinYeon… is in surgery for multiple injuries. Seouli has no injuries.”

Jimin felt as though his guts had just fallen out.

“Even if we rushed to the hospital, we couldn’t see them. SM has provided a security detail for them and their families.”

Jimin quickly stood up to change back into his clothes as TaeHyung did the same.

“BTS has no reason to be there, guys. The public will think…”

“Try to stop us,” TaeHyung glared at him.

Jimin grabbed his coat and led TaeHyung down to EXO’s dressing room, where they had just returned from the stage. Kyungsoo was staring at the floor as the other members sat quietly in their seats. MinSeok walked out from changing his clothes and nodded to Jimin to follow him.

“Yuta!” Jimin called out as they passed NCT’s dressing room. He immediately grabbed his things and followed them to a waiting van.

They were escorted through security to a waiting room full of MinYeon’s parents and both grandmothers, Seouli’s grandmother, Marcus, Hannah’s manager Luna, and Justin.

“Park-ssi?” a doctor peeked in as everyone quieted and looked up at him.

“I’m MiHyeon’s oppa,” he answered in Korean as he walked up to him.

“Your sister had a clean break that was easy to set. She in recovery and will be able to go home as soon as the anesthesia wears off. She has many bruised and scrapes, but they will heal easily.”

“Thank you,” he bowed to him.

Seouli walked in behind the doctor as her grandmother rushed to hug her.

“Halmeoni,” she smiled as she kissed her cheek.

“Do you know anything about MinYeon-ah?” TaeHyung asked her.

“I just finished giving my statement to the police,” she crossed her arms and sighed. “Yeon-ie saw the car and pushed Eunnie out of the way. She’s way stronger than we thought, because she broke Eunnie’s arm,” she smirked. “The police believe they were EXO sasaengs.”

“Again?” MinSeok lost his voice.

“Hyung’s going to go crazy,” Jimin sighed.

Yuta stood while holding Obahan’s hand.

“Do you know what they’re talking about?”

“No, Obahan. I just know that EXO sasaengs are crazy. They have done many horrible things in the past. MiHyeon-ssi is a former manager for them, she probably knows of more than I do.”

Jimin spoke to MinYeon’s family as TaeHyung updated the 95-Liner chat group. The social media hastag #PrayForKMY began to trend in South Korea, and then internationally as her friends changed their profile pics to various minions.

It was nearly two in the morning when the surgeon finally stepped in to update everyone. “Miss Kim is having a bit of trouble coming out of her anesthesia. She is anemic and her body isn’t metabolizing the medication as it should, plus she has a severe concussion. We surgically repaired her dislocated hip and repaired the muscles around her hip to keep it in place as well as reset a fractured wrist. She also has a cracked kneecap which has been repaired and stapled, and two cracked ribs. We will have to wait until she regains consciousness to evaluate for possible neurological damage.”

“What is the prognosis for something like this?” her father asked.

“As far as trauma from being hit by a car… this is on the milder side. Had the car been travelling faster, it could have been much worse.”

“Can we see her?” Her mother asked.

“Only immediate family,” he glanced around the room.

“Everyone here is family,” her halmeoni answered.

“In that case… two at a time, please. We will let you know when she settles into a room.”

They all bowed to him as Jimin turned to Kim-Halmeoni. “Thank you.”

“She’d have our heads on spikes if we kept you from seeing her,” she smirked.

“Please make a list of phone calls I can made on your behalf. I would like to feel useful right now,” Marcus asked them.

“Thank you, MinSeok-ie,” SeokJin ended the call before looking up at the others. “Hannah has a broken arm from MinYeon-ah throwing her out of the way. Unfortunately… Yeon-ie’s not so good.”

“What?” JeongGuk’s eyes filled with tears.

“She had a dislocated hip, which has been repaired and her wrist has been reset. She cracked two ribs and her right knee. Apparently there are several staples and stitches as well, but the worst part is that she’s been off of sedation for a few hours and still hasn’t woken up.”

YoonGi walked in with his phone in his hand. “I’ve been talking to my guy at Dispatch. It was a car full of sasaengs and he thinks they were aiming at Hannah. He’s already sent his pictures to SM and I persuaded him to send a copy to the police as well.”

“How on earth did you do that?”

“Let’s just say… Dispatch has been well compensated for dropping the story and backing off to give the family some space.”

“I will gladly reimburse you for that,” SeokJin nodded at him.

“Save it for NewsEn,” he sighed.

“Got it,” he dialed his source at the next news outlet.

Jimin and TaeHyung took their turn sitting with MinYeon just after MinSeok and Mommy Kim. Jimin watched them retreat back to the waiting room and took in a deep breath before looking up at TaeHyung.

“She needs you,” he whispered to him.

He nodded his head before pushing open the door and walking in to find her on a ventilator, hooked up to more machines than he ever dreamed possible. Her right leg was propped up on a foam wedge and her right arm splinted and resting atop a pillow as a faint beep filled the room.

“She’d die if she knew her hair looked like that,” he murmured before clicking into gear and going to work.

TaeHyung’s mouth fell open as he watched his best friend in the world comb his fingers through his unconscious girlfriend’s hair, doing the best he could to weave it into braids as he tried his best not to pull on the stitches in her hairline.

“There’s my pretty baby,” he kissed her forehead. “All better.”

“I don’t think she’s going to be able to wear those heels you got her for Christmas for a while.”

“Time to go shopping. I’ll buy her every color of Vans imaginable,” he smirked before taking the hand that held an IV in the back of it and sighed. “I’m here, Baby. You’ve got to wake up and plan TaeHyung-ie’s birthday. You can’t celebrate everyone else on the planet and not him. He’ll be sad if you don’t.”

“Stop it,” he laughed. “I will gladly sit in this room and share my cake with you, Yeon-ah. You just have to wake up.”

They waited for a moment before letting out disappointed sighs. Jimin reached up to her hair and pushed it over her ear to see dried blood in her ear. As nurse just happened to walk in at that moment and he turned to her.

“Excuse me, why was her ear bleeding?”

She nodded before walking to the laptop that was connected to her chart and looked up her injuries. “She hit her head very hard. Her brain is swollen and her eardrum burst.”

“Can she hear?”

“We won’t know until she awakens.”

“Thank you,” he bowed as she bowed and left the room.

“She’s not going to be happy when she finally wakes,” TaeHyung rubbed his face.

“How are we going to do this?” he looked up at the ceiling and rolled his eyes around in thought. “Even the best of friends wouldn’t be at the hospital every day. The outlets are going to have a field day with this.”

“From what JeongGuk’s told me, the hyungs are paying them off to drop the story. They will get the official stories as we get it, claim it as an anonymous source, and back off from the hospital. It’ll be easier to sneak around.”

“At least there’s that,” he sighed.

“Seouli went to Incheon with her grandma and Noona went to Justin’s. Her parents are on their way.

“As usual, My Baby takes the worst of it.”

“She saved Noona. It could have been much worse.”

He flashed his eyes at him.

EunJae and her father were escorted to the waiting room and greeted everyone there. Her aunt and uncle updated her on her cousin’s condition before ending with, “her boyfriend’s with her now.”

She stopped and looked up at Yuta, who was speaking to Obahan and MinSeok. “But… isn’t that…” she pointed to Yuta.

The door opened as Jimin and TaeHyung returned from their visit. Jimin nodded to Yuta as he took Obahan’s hand and lead her out to take their turn.

“What’s going on?” she stared at Jimin as he raised his eyebrows.

“Oh crap,” he sighed as TaeHyung swiftly moved away.

He raised his eyebrows. “EunJae,” he looked away. He remembered all of the times MinYeon begged him to stay away from her and suddenly felt bad. Now he understood why she was so upset by his relationship with her. She would be her cousin forever, and now, when he was trying to get his relationship back with his girlfriend, he had to deal with her. He walked up to her and whispered lowly. “Can we talk?”

She looked up at the balcony and nodded. Jimin glanced up to see Mommy Kim watching him and led her outside.

They both looked out over the city silently for a moment before she spoke up. “MinYeon-ie told us at Chuseok that she had an idol boyfriend. She wouldn’t tell us your name. The night you came to my performance… it was you, wasn’t it?”

He looked down at his hands and nodded his head. “We had to keep it a secret. Only our families, my members, and a few close friends knew.”

“Everyone saw the news last night. They saw how frightened you where while leaving the festival.”

He pursed his lips and nodded his head. “My father said something similar.”

“We all know you love her. Not everyone knows to what extent, but you can see it just by watching you two together. I just don’t understand what this is between us.”

He let out a huff and looked away for a moment before turning back to her. “We were told to distance ourselves and see other people. We were supposed to be seen with those people. So… we decided from the beginning that we would have an open relationship. Then I met you, and you look… so much like her. It was easy being with you because of that.”

“So that’s what Yuta’s doing here?”

“Yuta… is very close to her. He was there for her in a time I couldn’t be. He has a relationship with her Japanese grandma and… they trust him.”

“Ah.”

“Is that what the WonHo thing is too?”

He nodded silently. “Last night… was too much. I can’t do this anymore. I don’t care if we keep our relationship a secret or not, I just… can’t be with anyone else anymore. I’m sorry, JaeJae.”

“I know, because you hate hurting anyone. You won’t be sorry for finally having her to yourself, though.”

“No. Thank you.”

“Please take care of her. She’s been through hell the past few months.”

“I will do everything I can to fix it.”

She patted his arm and nodded before walking back into the waiting room. He took a moment to himself and let out a deep sigh before joining her.

#

Rehearsals and fittings were rearranged to accommodate Jimin’s schedule so he could spent time at the hospital. He left long enough to run through choreography, sing his parts on a new song, go home, shower, change, and return. He walked into MinYeon’s room to find JeongHan, SeungCheol, Joshua, Hoshi, and Vernon sitting around the room.

“What are you guys doing here?”

“I had to see her,” JeongHan looked up from holding her hand. “Five was the compromise. All thirteen of us wanted to come,” Joshua nodded.

He looked over to see that she was still on the ventilator and sighed. “No change then?”

“How can she just not wake up?” he wiped under his eyes.

“I’m hoping the doctors will finally figure out what’s wrong with her stomach. She's getting iron infusions, so that might help. I just want her to wake up.”

“Me too,” he sighed. “TaeYong and his guys are coming later tonight. Hwasa doesn’t want to see her until she’s awake. She’s a mess.”

“So is Bona. She texts every hour.”

“Fuck this,” he shook his head angrily. “Who did this to my Squishy?”

“EXO sasaengs, we think. They may have been targeting Noona. We won’t know until they’re found and she’s the only one who got a good look,” he pointed to MinYeon.

The door opened as a doctor and two nurses walked in. “We are removing the respirator, please go to the waiting room until we speak to you.”

“That’s good news,” Hoshi watched her for a moment as they all walked out together.

“We need to get to rehearsal,” Joshua spoke to JeongHan as Vernon rolled his eyes around. None of them wanted to leave.

“I want to at least see her without the tube in, then I’ll leave,” he pleaded with him.

He nodded his head before leading the others out.

The two men were quiet for a moment until JeongHan looked at Jimin. “How are you?”

“I’ll be much better when she wakes up. You?”

“Same,” he sighed. “Has Yuta been here?”

“He spent most of the night, but… we’ve all got Gayo Daechukjae tomorrow.”

“And WonHo-hyung?”

“Why does it matter how many of her men have been here?”

“I want to make sure the people she loves have loved her back,” he hissed.

“Yes,” he answered shortly. “He and JooHeon-ie were here early this morning before I left for rehearsal.”

The door opened as both men looked up to see a very sleep-deprived Yuta join them.

“I thought your members were coming too?” Jimin asked him.

“I haven’t spoken to them, I don’t know,” he looked around. “They wouldn’t let me in her room.”

“She’s having the tube removed,” JeongHan explained.

“That’s good, right?”

“Yeah… that’s good,” Jimin sighed.

The door opened again as a nurse peeked in. “You may return to her room.”

“Thank you,” they bowed as Jimin lead the way. All three men stood at the foot of her bed and watched her sleep, an oxygen candela under her nose replacing the massive respirator.

“Do you think perhaps she's just finally catching up on sleep?” JeongHan asked as they all burst into laughter.

“The thought has crossed my mind,” Jimin smirked.

“How many songs do you think are floating around in there right now, just… ready to burst out?” Yuta asked.

“I’m not sure I want to know,” Jimin sighed as he walked around the bed and looked her over. All of the lower body damage was to her right side from the impact of the car. All of her upper body damage was to her left side from spinning around and hitting the pavement. “Perhaps she should stay asleep through all the pain?” he suggested.

“She’s tougher than all of us combined,” Yuta nodded. “She’ll be fine.”

“Yeah,” he pulled up her left hand and placed it into his, looking over her nails. “Didn’t break one.”

“She would have jumped up and chased them, dislocated hip and all had they broken one of her precious nails,” JeongHan laughed.

“Where are her parents?” Yuta asked him.

“Getting sleep, eating, cleaning up… making arrangements to be here a while. I think they took the grandmas back to Guri so they could cook. They don’t seem to trust the hospital food,” Jimin smirked. “MinSeok-ie is arranging to get time off. Even when she gets out of here, she’ll need help.”

“She won’t like it.”

“No, probably not,” he agree.

Yuta pulled out his phone and pursed his lips before rolling his eyes and looking up. “My manager’s going to come drag my ass home if I don’t come now.”

“I promise to let everyone know when she wakes up,” Jimin assured him.

“Thank you,” he bowed to both of them before leaving.

JeongHan threw his head back and sighed. “I should probably go, too. How long are you staying?”

“Until her parents or brother return.”

He nodded his head. “Make sure you give her a sloppy, wet kiss from me as soon as she opens her eyes.”

“That’s not really our style,” he smirked.

“No,” he hugged him briefly. “Take care of our girl.”

“Always,” he assured him before watching him walk out the door.

Jimin stretched his arms and popped his neck and back before sliding a chair up to her bed and holding her hand. He watched her face, noting how peaceful she was as she purred away. He sighed as he ran his fingers over the parts of her face that remained uninjured before letting out a deep sigh.

He raised his hand to his lips and kissed her fingers before whispering to her, “I’m here, Baby. I’ll always be here,” he propped his elbow onto the bed and leaned his cheek against his hand before singing to her.

_All this is no coincidence_   
_Just, just, by my feeling_   
_The whole world is different from yesterday_   
_Just, just, with your joy_

_When you called me_   
_I became your flower_   
_As if we were waiting_   
_We bloom until we ache_

_Maybe it’s the providence of the universe_   
_It just had to be that_   
_You know, I know_   
_You are me, I am you_

He laced his fingers through hers and squeezed them.

_As much as my heart flutters, I’m worried_   
_The destiny is jealous of us_   
_Just like you I’m so scared_   
_When you see me, when you touch me_   
  
_The universe has moved for us_   
_Without missing a single thing_   
_Our happiness was meant to be_   
_Cuz you love me, and I love you_

Her eyes fluttered as he slowly sat up. Her lips parted as she took in a deep breath before licking her lips and looking around the room. Suddenly a wave of pain flooded over her as she let out a painful moan and squeezed his hand.

“There you are,” he smiled.

She turned her head and looked down at him.

“Hi, Baby,” he brushed his thumb across her forehead. “Can you talk to me?”

Tears filled her eyes as her lips trembled. “Jimin-ah…” she whispered, her voice low and scratchy from the breathing tube.

“You scared me,” he blinked away a few tears of his own.

“I can’t hear you,” she breathed heavily.

He rose to his feet and kissed her forehead. “Relax Baby,” he held her. “Just breathe.”

She calmed down as she clenched onto his shirt with her left hand.

He pulled back and cupped her face, looking into her eyes and speaking slowly. “I’m going to call the doctor,” he nodded.

She nodded her understanding as he reached for her room phone.

YoonGi sat on the side of his bed, staring at the floor with his hands pressed together, arms across his knees in silent contemplation. TaeHyung slowly walked in and sat beside him as they sat quietly for a moment longer.

“She’s finally awake.”

He closed his eyes and sighed in relief.

“Her concussion isn’t as bad as previously thought, but there is some swelling to her brain. She’s a little fuzzy and has a headached.”

He nodded his understanding.

“She also… can’t hear out of her left ear.”

“What?!” he looked up at him.

“She has a burst eardrum from the impact of her head hitting the ground, but they’re going to run tests to see if the nerve is damaged. It is most likely temporary.”

“A composer who can’t hear?” he huffed.

“Hyung, calm down.”

“I should be with her.”

“Her boyfriend is with her.”

His eyes widened at him.

“I know you love her, and that you’ve become good friends since she’s been with Jimin-ie… but this is his responsibility. We can see her when she comes home.”

He nodded before grabbing his keys and jacket, and headed for the door.

TaeHyung picked up his phone and dialed.

“Yeobosayo?” Hwasa answered.

“YoonGi-hyung is feeling pretty helpless right now. Please expect him to stop by. If there’s anything that needs to be repaired, cleaned, or assembled, he’s your man.”

“Thank you, TaeTae. WheeIn, Bona, and I have caught up on her laundry and dishes and are making heotteok to take to her.”

“Did you hear that she’s awake?”

“Yes,” she grinned. “Jimin-ie was very happy when he called me.”

“Now we wait to see when we can get her home.”

“Yeah,” she sighed. “Waiting.”

Jimin was back in the waiting room when MinSeok and Kyungsoo arrived to take over.

“They’re doing another hearing test and then an MRI to check her hip. They don’t want to try to get her up and walking if something is out of place or chipped.”

“Good idea,” he nodded.

“Other than that…” Kyungsoo asked.

“Her ear’s bothering her. We’re beginning to think it is tinnitus rather than hearing loss. It could be from the nerve damage. A neurologist will be here tomorrow for an evaluation.”

“Look at you, being all husbandy and everything,” MinSeok laughed at him.

He burst into a grin. “I’m just happy she’s awake again and from what I heard, her apartment is spotless and full of food.”

“Cool. Eomma’s heading there with Obahan right now before coming here. We’ve all got rehearsals…”

“She knows,” he nodded his head.

“This is the list of medications your mother provided us with upon your admittal, is it correct?”

She scanned through the antiemetics, vitamins, and pain relievers. “Um… I’m on a birth control pill as well.”

“When is the last time you took it?”

“The… 27th.”

“And when was your last period?”

Her eyes rolled around for a moment. The excitement of spending time with her boyfriend completely kicked out the important information as she prepared and packed for the trip. She was still popping those pills, going through the motions, when in fact her period for December never came. “November 23rd,” she answered, her mind a million miles away. Yuta always wore a condom. WonHo always wore a condom. The men at the 95-House promised to wear condoms, plus she was on the pill.

“Have you had unprotected sex in the past two months?”

“Yes,” she answered lowly. “Wouldn’t you have performed a pregnancy test on an unconscious woman before taking x-rays and medicating her? Performing surgery?” she asked sharply.

The nurse scanned through her procedures and tests. “Yes, it was negative.”

She stared at her with a displeased frown. “Is there a problem with my cycle?”

“I will flag this information for your doctor.”

“Thank you,” she rolled her eyes in thought.

#

Jimin sat in makeup, watching his stylist work from his reflection in the mirror as his phone buzzed in his hand. He grinned brightly as he placed his air pod into his ear. “There’s My Baby,” he answered.

“Ssangdungi,” she spoke quietly.

“How are you feeling tonight?”

“I walked on crutches today, so I’m a little sore.”

“You walked?! Ah… I wish I was there.”

“It’s fine,” she sighed. “I don’t want you to be shocked when you see me next time…”

“What’s wrong?”

“I have a feeding tube that is bypassing my stomach. It’s… discusting.”

“Have they figured things out?”

“They think so. They’re trying this first, though. I haven’t gotten sick or nauseous since they placed the tube a few hours ago.”

“That makes me extremely happy.”

She smiled as she listened to him. She wanted to tell him everything. She wanted him to know what she was going through at that moment, but he was getting ready to leave for the final festival concert of the year. “Did TaeHyung-ie get his gift?”

“Yes. We will both sneak in after the show.”

“Ah… okay.”

“Is everything else okay, baby?”

“It will be soon,” she sighed. “I’ll be watching tonight. I love you.”

“I love you too,” he smirked before looking up at the mirror.

True to their word, both men snuck into the hospital around two in the morning and brought a cake with them. They both sat on the bed and made TaeHyung blow out candles yet again before letting her eat a tiny bite.

“You actually have some color in your cheeks,” Jimin brushed his fingertips down her cheek.

“They want me to gain three kilos,” her eyes widened.

“Yes. Your squishy cheeks will be back in no time,” TaeHyung spoke with a mouth full of cake.

“Did they figure it out then?”

“There is a very rare condition called Cyclic Vomiting Syndrome, and they believe that is what I have. It can be triggered by certain foods, emotional distress, migraine, or hormones. It begins as nausea and pain, but once vomiting starts it remains constant until it eventually just stops.”

“That sounds very much like what happens,” he agreed.

“Usually, you would just wait it out. There is no treatment. However… my tests indicate that my platelets are low, so I’m bruising easily and not healing very quickly. It is also causing my hormones levels to fluctuate,” she glanced at TaeHyung for a moment before turning back to her boyfriend. “I missed my cycle in December.”

Jimin blinked at her as TaeHyung’s eyes widened.

“There are so many possibilities, mainly that I’ve lost so much weight that my cycle has stopped completely.”

“And other possibilities?” he stuttered.

“The test was negative… but it could be too early to tell.”

He sat back and threw his head back, looking up at the ceiling.

“I think I need a soda,” TaeHyung slid off the bed and slowly walked out of the room to give them privacy.

“Negative?” he asked again.

“Ne. If my hormones are all crazy, there’s a chance the birth control pills weren’t working,” she whispered.

“The last time we were together was four days ago. There’s no way…”

“No,” she placed her hand across her forehead. “Hug Day is probably unlikely as well.”

“You overthink shit as an artform. What are you thinking?”

She closed her eyes and sighed. “The night we got home from Jeju, after our fight.”

“You mean the night we got home from a fucking orgy?” he hissed.

“Everyone wore a condom. We always use condoms. You and I are the only ones who don’t.”

“But even if there’s a tiny little chance… it’s still a chance.”

“I might not be pregnant at all,” she whined. “I have to gain weight. If my cycle doesn’t return by next month, I have to test it again. My hormone levels are so unreliable right now… no one knows.”

He took a few deep breaths to take in all in before turning back to her.

She stared at him with sad eyes. “I’m so stupid,” she mumbled.

“Come here,” he pulled her into his arms, careful to not hurt her. “There’s not much else we can do but wait.”

She nodded her head.

He quieted as possibilities whirled through his mind. So much for avoiding scandals, this was perhaps the biggest one they could have created.

“What will you do if you are?” he whispered.

She closed her eyes. “I don’t know.”

“Min-ah,” he rubbed her back, consoling her.

“My health… school… our relationship…” She pulled away and wiped under her eyes. “I’m not sure it’s a good idea,” she whispered.

Tears filled his eyes at the pain he felt from her. He raised his hand and caressed her cheek. “I’m here, whatever you decide, Baby.”

She placed her hand over his and nodded.

“I would love to be the father of your child,” he sniffed his nose. “If that’s what this is. We can make it work. I would do anything to make it work.”

“I don’t think that’s what this is. I think… I’ve lost so much weight I don’t have enough body fat. If your body doesn’t think you’re healthy enough to have a baby, it shuts down sometimes. Even if I am… I don’t think it will end well. I just… wanted you to know.”

“My poor Baby,” he kissed her forehead. “I love you so much.”

“I love you, too,” she sighed.


	10. JANUARY – I HOPE YOU DON’T KNOW THIS PART OF ME

Jimin sat across the room on a loveseat with Mommy Kim and watched as the neurologist tested MinYeon’s reflexes. His phone buzzed as he ignored it, focusing all of his attention on his girlfriend.

“You’ve been doing that a lot today,” YeonJung glanced at his phone.

“My friends are getting together today,” he nodded.

“I’m sure that doesn’t happen very often.”

“Once a year, actually,” he chuckled.

“Why aren’t you going?”

He frowned and turned to her. “I’m here.”

“I’m fairly sure that if you left for the day, she’d be here when you returned,” she looked over her glasses at him.

“MinSeok-ie-hyung is ill…”

“I’m aware. I’m the one who told him not to come.”

“I don’t want her to be alone.”

“She has not once been alone in the past four days.”

“It’s New Year’s Day…”

“How do you plan to celebrate in here?”

“You’re really asking me to leave your daughter for the entire day?”

“I’m not asking…” she smiled sweetly.

“Aish… that’s where Min-ah gets that cute smile,” he mumbled.

“Did you just call me cute?” she burst into laughter before smacking him.

MinYeon looked over at them as the doctor approached. “Her concussion has improved greatly,” he bowed to them. “The hearing in her right ear is back to normal with the tinnitus remaining in the left. Once she leaves the hospital, I would like to continue to test her periodically to see if it is improving.”

“Thank you very much,” YeonJung bowed to him.

They watched him walk out as Jimin bit his lip and looked up at MinYeon. Just as he was about to speak to her, the physiotherapist walked in with a gait belt and cane.

“Are we ready to walk today, MinYeon-ssi?”

“That’s today?” her smile fell. “I think you should check your schedule again.”

“Nope. Let’s do this.”

She sighed as she looked over at Jimin.

He offered her a supportive smile as the therapist threw off her sheets.

“Wow! Pink Burberry pajamas!”

“I have awesome friends,” she grinned.

“All you need is a tiara…”

She reached over to her table to retrieve her glittery pipe cleaner EXO tiara. “I also have smartass oppas,” she showed her.

“I bow to the queen,” she quipped.

“That’s Queena,” Jimin corrected her from his seat.

“Okay, Queena-ssi,” she rolled her eyes. “I want to see you scoot your bottom to the side of the bed on your own.”

She took a few deep breaths before doing just that.

“Daebak!” they gave eachother a high-five. “Drink your water.”

She nodded before taking a sip.

“Now we’re going to walk over to the scale, get your weight, and walk back.”

“You’re killing me,” she growled.

“It can take two hours, as long as you do it.”

She waited as the therapist wrapped the child-sized belt around her waist.

“First, we stand,” she instructed.

MinYeon stared at the floor for a moment before wrapping her hand tightly around the bed rail and sliding off. She let out a yelp before catching her balance.

“Breathe, don’t hold it in.”

She nodded before reaching for her water and taking another sip.

“Remember, the brace on your knee won’t let you walk normally. You will have to swing your leg out a little. You don’t have to put weight on your right leg for long.”

“Got it,” she nodded.

It took everything he had not to run to her side and help, but he did manager to sit back in his seat.

“Baby steps,” she whispered before taking her first fully-weighted step.

Her mother and Jimin applauded her from their seats as she burst into a bright grin.

“Was that bad?”

“Not as bad as standing up.”

“Good. Let’s do another.”

She hobbled her way slowly to the scale and held their breaths she stepped on.

“47.4 Kilos…”

“You’ve gained nearly two kilos!” her mother burst into tears.

“Awesome. Can someone carry me back?” she begged them.

“No, but I think you’ve earned a hand,” Jimin walked over and offered his arm as the therapist nodded to him.

“Thank you, Namchin,” she sighed.

“You’re welcome,” he kissed her temple. “You’re doing very well, Baby. I think you’re going to go home soon.”

“I think they’re taking the tube out tonight to see if I can hold down anything.”

“That’s good, right?”

“Yes,” she looked up at him. “Shall we?”

They walked together back to her bed as he held her left hand with his and placed his right hand on the small of her back. She was completely wiped out by the time she made it back to her bed.

She then turned and leaned against the bed as he picked her up by the waist and placed her back on.

“My Prince,” she smiled up at him.

“My Queen,” he kissed her.

“So… are you meeting up with the Padding Squad today?”

He scrunched up his face. “You Eomma told me to.”

“You should. I’m probably going to take a pain pill and sleep for a while. Go hand out with your friends.”

“I don’t want to leave.”

“Shall I piss you off and make it easier.”

“No!” he laughed at her.

“Please go. Tell my oppas I’m getting ready to come home.”

“Okay,” he pressed his forehead against hers. “You’re doing so great, Baby. I can’t wait to get you out of here and back home.”

“Have fun,” she kissed him.

“Okay,” he gave in before gathering his things and leaving.

#

JeongHan received a notification that someone had opened a video chat in the 95-Liners group. He casually opened it to see that Yuta was waiting, a complete view of his entire face.

“Seriously? On my day off, this is what I get?” he teased him.

“You’re going to want to see this,” he grinned as one by one, the others began to join. Finally, Jimin took a peek and looked to see who all was logged on.

“Are you all ready?”

“I’m ready to reach through this phone and slap you,” Hwasa growled.

“Not today,” he pulled back to show them MinYeon, walking across the floor of the hospital hall.

“Oh my GAWD!” she squealed.

“Improvement!” Jimin laughed before holding his phone up for TaeMin, JongIn, and Ravi.

“Hold on a sec,” MinYeon leaned against the railing and took a breath before waving at the phone.

“You look amazing, chingu,” TaeYong sighed. “I’m so happy to see you up.”

“You can’t keep Queena Kim down!” Johnny yelled.

“Your cheeks aren’t sunken in anymore,” JeongHan spoke up.

“She’s gaining weight!” Yuta applauded as she reached out and slapped him.

“They removed the feeding tube,” Jimin noticed.

“I drank fish bone broth earlier.”

“Yes!” he relaxed.

She smiled at the camera and waved. “Who wants to Queena sit for the next two weeks?”

“We’ll make a schedule,” Song spoke up.

“I’ll collaborate with MinSeok-ie-hyung,” TaeYong answered.

“I told you I have the best friends,” she glanced at her therapist with a smug smile. “Everyone, JiWoo-sii, meet the 95-Liners.”

She bowed and said hello as they all bowed back to her.

“Thank you for taking such good care of our sister,” NaYeon waved.

“Mwo! Twice?” her eyes widened.

“Yes!” she waved.

“You do have good friends!” the therapist agreed as they all laughed.

A nurse, pushing a wheelchair, made her way down the hallway toward them. “I’m here to take MinYeon-ssi for a brain scan.”

“Another?” she sighed.

“Hopefully, the last one.”

She raised her eyebrows and quickly turned to sit into the chair.

“She just moved way quicker,” WheeIn laughed.

“Okay, gotta go! Bye!” Yuta waved as MinYeon waved and blew kisses and finger hearts.

“Love you, MinYeon-ie!”

“Byeeeee!”

#

Johnny found the camera as he snooped around MinYeon’s studio and grinned brightly. “Found it! Jimin-ie! What’s her password?!”

“Uhhh… her YouTube channel? Try… LibraPig101395!”

“Surely it’s not that easy,” he hummed as it let him in. “We’re going to need to have a talk about security,” he chuckled.

The door opened as everyone froze and looked up, only to see Yuta and TaeYong walk in with a life-sized stuffed Minion.

“In the corner across from her studio door,” JeongHan directed as he checked off a list.

TaeHyung laid out a pink velour Chanel tracksuit on her bed before neatly folding a pajama set, robe, slippers, and sleep mask beside it while Bona added new, fluffy Chanel throw pillows to her bed to aid in supporting her leg and arm.

Jisoo placed fluffy pink blankets and pillows on the sofa, creating a nest of comfort while Jimin set up a Blue-Ray Disc player and stacked up movies and musicals beside it.

“What about the hair scrunchies?” TaeHyung called out to the others.

“In the bag!” JiSoo yelled back to him.

The door opened again, this time with Hwasa, WheeIn, SeungCheol, and NaYeon carrying in bags of food and drinks.

Jimin finished stacking up DVDs beside the television before glancing down at his phone. “They just left the hospital!” he called out.

“And we’re live…” Johnny pointed the camera to Joshua.

“Hello! Don’t worry, you’re not on the wrong channel, this is Don’t Call Me Minion. You were probably expecting Mina, but she’s not here yet,” he glanced over his shoulder. “Right now… the 95-Liners have taken over her channel to welcome her home.”

“Everyone say hi!” Johnny yelled out.

“Anneyong!”

“Hello!”

“Hi!”

“Okay,” Johnny turned the camera around. “So, our friend Mina is coming home from the hospital today and we’re surprising her. She’s probably going to hate it, but we don’t care,” he grinned. “Especially that!” he turned the camera back around and focused on the Minion.

“Oh yeah,” Hwasa giggled.

“Shall we introduce ourselves?” he looked around. “Let’s see… There’s BTS’s Jimin… Mamamoo’s Hwasa and WheeIn, S.Coups, Joshua, and JeongHan from Seventeen… TaeHyung’s, I mean V is in the next room… My boys Yuta and TaeYong… iKon’s Song dropped off some gifts…”

“They’re from him and Bobby!” Bona called out.

“And Cosmic Girls Bona and Exy…” he nodded. “And me! Johnny Seo from NCT. Hi.”

“They’re here!” Jimin called out.

“Okay. Don’t scare the injured woman,” Johnny spoke as they all stood around and waited.

MinSeok was the first to peek in as he smiled.

“You’ve been gone so long, you have a rodent problem,” he chuckled as he held the door open for his sister.

“What the…” she looked around.

“Welcome home!” Hwasa clapped her hands together before hugging her.

“You guys suck!” she squealed as she noticed that Johnny had a camera. “What the fuck?”

“This is live, we can’t bleep it out!” Joshua threw his head back in laughter.

They took turns hugging her before Bona and Exy pulled her into her room to change into her new clothes.

“You all know she’s supposed to be adjusting to home. She’s on complete rest for 24 hours,” her mother spoke in English.

“She doesn’t have to lift a finger,” WheeIn assured her.

“And neither do you,” Yuta escorted them to the dining room table.

MinYeon returned and was escorted to the sofa, where she was propped and fluffed before being handed a bowl of food.

She looked across the room at the huge Minion and threw her head back in laughter. “I hate you, Yuta!”

“What would you think that was me?”

MinSeok followed with nearly the same laugh. “I wish I would have thought of it.”

“He’s the one who dressed as a Minion for Halloween,” MinYeon shook her head. “All traitors.”

“Here you go, my love,” Jisoo handed her some soju.

“She’s taken pain meds!” YeonJung jumped up and grabbed the glass.

“You tried,” MinYeon mouthed her thanks as Jisoo winked at her.

“And that was it, folks! Thanks for helping us surprise Mina! See you soon!”

Everyone waved their goodbyes as he ended the live feed.

“You’re all crazy,” MinYeon smiled. “I love you.”

“We’re just glad to see you home,” Yuta spoke from across the room.

She frowned as she looked toward him.

Jimin repeated what he had said into her right ear as she smiled and blew a kiss to him. He sat beside her and adjusted her leg to rest across his thigh before helping her settle in and get comfortable.

“He’s going to make an awesome husband someday,” TaeYong turned to Yuta.

“When he gets his head out of his ass? Yes,” he agreed.

WheeIn brought some food to Jimin as he smiled at her. “Thank you, Noona.”

MinYeon stared at the black bean noodles and candied sweet potatoes for a moment before looking up at Jimin.

“Start with a few bites,” he aimed his voice toward her left ear.

“Can you carry me to the bathroom if I get sick?”

“Of course,” he chuckled at her. “It’s been three days since you last got sick. I think you’re good.”

She nodded before taking a bite. She moaned happily while chewing and sat back against her pillows. “I’ve missed food so much.”

He patted her left leg and smiled before digging into his own.

“So… are they a thing now?” Hwasa whispered to Bona.”

“I honestly have no idea.”

“I think it’s just two BFFs reconnecting after a huge accident. She could have died,” Jisoo reminded them.

The ladies agreed as Yuta sat on the floor beside the sofa and looked up at MinYeon. “Hwasa has made a schedule. TaeYong and I are in charge of walks and food.”

“So I’m a Pomeranian now?” she smirked.

“I can have that sparkly cage ready in an hour,” Jimin piped in.

“Yes, you’re my Squishy Puppy,” Yuta continued. “Our managers all approved it with our work schedule.”

“I am a part of your schedules now?” she raised her eyebrows. “Wow. I’m speechless.”

“Have you heard anything on the people who mowed you down?” Johnny asked with a mouth full of food.

“She hasn’t been interviewed yet,” her father answered. “They’ll be here later.”

“Oh,” he nodded.

MinYeon looked up at Jimin and raised her eyebrows.

“They don’t really need much more information. Dispatch and NewsEn handed over their photos.”

“Willingly?” she smirked.

“Of course. Everyone’s willing to do things for a price,” he cocked his eyebrow.

She watched him for a moment. “To be continued…”

He nodded silently.

“So what’s the final damage?” Bona asked her called from across the room.

When MinYeon didn’t answer, Jimin patted her leg. “Baby, Bona’s talking to you.”

“Hmm?” she looked up from her food.

“What’s the wound count?” Hwasa asked louder.

“Two cracked ribs, broken wrist with a bracket and four screws, cracked knee with two screws, dislocated hip with corrective surgery, concussion, broken eardrum, nerve damage, hearing loss, and 28 stitches.”

“Holy shit,” Joshua whispered as Mommy Kim agreed with him.

“I feel like I got hit by a car,” she sighed.

Selcas were taken and posted to appropriate social media before people began to leave. After all, the Golden Disc Awards were a few days away and rehearsals needed to be held. Once they were down to only the Kims and Jimin, he called his parents on video chat.

“Yeobosayo?” JiHyun answered.

“Hi!” Jimin waved. “Are mom and dad around?”

“Yes,” he looked up for a moment.

“Hello?” his mother answered. “Jimin-ah! How is…” before she had finished, he turned the camera to MinYeon, who was waving at them. “Min-ah! Welcome home!”

“Thank you!” she smiled for them.

“How are you feeling?” his father joined the chat.

MinYeon turned to Jimin and raised her eyebrows.

“She’s not feeling anything right now, she’s had a pain pill!” Jimin answered for her.

MinSeok turned to his parents and sighed. “How long do you think that will last?”

“For our sake, I hope not long,” his mother answered.

“She’s going to get very grumpy,” his father agreed.

“I’m sorry we need to keep this short,” Jimin spoke. “She needs a nap before the police visit to take her statement and then the physiotherapist is coming to evaluate her.”

MinYeon raised her eyebrows. “I am completely out of the loop,” she looked around drunkenly.

Jimin nodded as he watched his parents through the screen.

“Will you be at the awards show both days?” JiHyun asked.

“Ne. We’re performing on day two.”

“Please get some rest,” his mother pleaded. “She’s home now, you can sleep.”

He smiled shyly at his mother. “Thank you.”

“Get well soon, Min-ah!” they all waved.

“Thank you!” she smiled as the call ended.

Jimin dropped his phone and looked up at MinYeon. “Ready?”

“Ne.”

He helped her up and walked with her to her bedroom where he helped her get comfortable before leaning down to kiss her. “Get some rest. It’s been a big day.”

“What price was paid for paparazzi to turn over their photos, and by whom?” she asked.

He sat on the edge of her bed and dropped his head before letting out a sigh. “I had no part of it. I was in the hospital with you.”

“I don’t recall that being the question.”

He looked up at her. “Can you just accept the gift?”

“From whom?”

“YoonGi-hyung paid off Dispatch and Jin-hyung paid off NewsEn. I’m sure there is more to it, but that’s what I know.”

She watched him for a moment. “Nothing from Big Hit?”

“They turned over surveillance from November and December. The license number on the car that hit you had been past the building several times.”

She closed her eyes. “I’m so confused.”

“Don’t worry about it,” he leaned down to kiss her again. “Sleep. You heal when you sleep.”

“I know,” she smiled as she grabbed onto his neck and kissed him again.

“I’m so glad you’re home,” he sighed. “I’ll be back as soon as I can. My chore for tomorrow is… food and shopping with TaeTae and JK.”

“What does that even mean?”

“We’ll figure it out,” he kissed her one last time before pulling away and dashing off to go to work.

An hour later, there was a knock at the door. That meant that it was someone who knew both the code of the front gate and elevator. MinYeon’s mother answered to find a very well-built, muscular man with bleached blond hair with blue tips in the doorway.

“Hello,” he bowed lowly with a smile.

“I’m sorry, if you’re here to see MinYeon-ie, she’s resting.”

“Ah,” he seemed disappointed. “I know it’s a bit strange, but… if I promise I won’t wake her… can I just see her?”

She raised her eyebrows. She recognized him as a man his daughter had been seen with many times in the news, so they were probably close. “And you are?”

“Lee Hoseok,” he bowed again to her.

“Hoseok-ie Samchon?” she burst into a smile. “My great nieces have spoken very highly of you.”

“They are great makeup artists,” he grinned.

She glanced over her shoulder. “She has an interview with the police and a meeting with the physiotherapist soon. She needs her rest.”

“I promise. I haven’t seen her since she was unconscious, I… I just need to see that she’s okay with my eyes.”

“She’s not,” she tried to make sure he understood. “But she’s home.”

He nodded his understanding as she stepped back to let him in.

“Thank you,” he slid out of his shoes and walked straight back to her bedroom as he bowed to MinYeon’s father.

“He seems to know the way,” he mumbled.

WonHo carefully slid open her door, leaving it open as he walked around her bed and sat down beside her. He sighed as he watched her sleep, looking over the healing bruises, stitches, and various splints.

He let out a deep breath as he closed his eyes for a moment, relaxing now that he had finally seen her. He opened them to see her looking back at him.

“Hi,” she smiled.

“I didn’t mean to wake you. Your eomma’s going to be pissed at me.”

“It’s okay, I’ll take the heat,” she smirked.

“I’m so glad you’re home. If you need anything, just let me know and I’ll bring it.”

“I have plenty of people taking care of me, but thank you. It’s good to see you.”

“You too,” he brushed his fingertips across her forehead. “Okay. I need to get back to rehearsals.”

“Thank you.”

He smiled at her before leaning down to kiss her forehead. He sat back and stared into her eyes for a moment before nodding his head and tiptoeing off.

She watched him leave before closing her eyes and going back to sleep.

#

“There were four girls in a white car with the license number…”

“We already have that information, Miss Kim.”

“Then what do you need from me?”

“Your apartment was broken into in late November. Were there any items missing?”

“Trophies,” she spoke plainly. “I have a collection of Disney Minions in my studio and there were four missing.”

“You seem fairly sure about that.”

“I have an eidetic memory. I am completely sure.”

They nodded their understanding. “We believe that both you and Miss Park were targeted by these girls. Had you ever met them before?”

“No.”

“Could you pick them out of a lineup?”

“Absolutely.”

“When do you think you might be able to do that?”

Her ear began to ring so loudly that she had trouble understanding him. She frowned and pulled at her right ear as she turned to her father.

“She had a schedule full of doctor visits and therapies. You may call her manager to schedule,” he handed him a business card.

“Thank you.”

She opened her eyes later that night to feel breathing at her side. She smiled to herself as she realized that Jimin had replaced the pillows under her leg with his thigh as he breathed against her shoulder.

“Hi,” she whispered.

“Hey, Baby,” he grumbled.

“When did you get here?”

He reached over and looked at his phone. “It’s been a few hours. Your parents went home for the night.”

“Good,” she yawned. “I need to pee.”

“Okay,” he gently lifted her leg and climbed over her, with a quick kiss, before helping her up and walking her to the bathroom. He leaned against the wall next to the door with his arms crossed and waited. “You can take another pain pill if you need it.”

“I’m good,” she grunted as she struggled to stand by herself.

He tilted his head and rolled his eyes. “I don’t remember you giving me a choice when you nursed me after we got home from Europe.”

She washed her hands and dried them off. “Your point?”

“My point…” he looked down at her as she opened the door and turned off the light, “my sexy girl, is that you need to shut up and let me take care of you.”

“I am incredibly sexy right now,” she growled.

“You are always sexy,” he wrapped his arms around her, picked her up, and carried her to the bed. “You were the sexiest patient at the hospital, too.”

“You’re just buttering me up to get laid right now,” she smirked. “I hate to break this to you, but you couldn’t handle it.”

“Oh,” he laughed at her. “I can’t handle it,” he kissed her nose.

“Nope,” she wrapped her arms around him as he placed her beside the bed on her feet.

He kissed the top of her head and sighed. “I love you too,” he murmured.

“I could have died,” she whispered into his chest.

“That was not an option,” he sighed. “The fortune teller in Pyeongyang said 2020. We can’t be happy in 2020 if you aren’t here, therefore it wasn’t an option.”

“We should see another for Seollal just to see if anything changed.”

“Like adding another little Park?”

“No,” she growled as she looked up at him.

“We still don’t know.”

“I’m not an expert on these things, but I’m pretty sure I’d feel pregnant or something if I was.”

“Can you imagine it though? Our baby would have the fattest cheeks and no eyes,” he grinned at her.

“We’d have to have a penthouse apartment built over Big Hit because you’d never want to go to work,” she sighed.

“No, I’d wear a carrier and take them with me. I bet I’d get a great workout with a baby strapped to my chest.”

She giggled at him as he kissed her.

“It will all work out. I am already ridiculously happy when I’m with you, I can’t imagine what it will be like when I get to wake up with you in my arms every day.”

“I’m so glad the blackout is over,” she whimpered.

“I know, Baby,” he kissed her again. “So am I.”

#

“Wow,” MinYeon looked at the x-ray of her knee.

“Those are the four pins and a tension band in a ‘figure of eight’ configuration holding your kneecap together to reduce stress and keep the fracture from worsening. Since your dislocated hip was on the same side, we didn’t want to add screws and make walking impossible.”

“I’ve been told I’m bearing weight very well,” she informed the doctor.

“You are. I will schedule you for the removal of the pins next week. It will probably take about three months of rehab to get you back to where you were, though. That hip should set you back quite a while.”

“When can I get those staples out?”

“It’s going to be a few more weeks, along with the plate in your wrist.”

“Ah,” she sighed.

She spent the rest of the afternoon at her apartment with her Obahan. Around dinner, three visitors showed up with food, flowers, and gifts.

“Hi!” she giggled as her grandmother let them in.

“Don’t stand up!” JiYong leaned down to hug and kiss her cheek.

“Damn girl, you are a mess!” SeungHyun followed.

“I haven’t seen you in forever!” she grinned a YoungBae leaned down to kiss her forehead.

“Sorry it had to take you getting mowed over for me to welcome you back home,” he smirked.

“Obahan, these are G-Dragon, T.O.P, and TaeYang from BigBang,” she introduced them.

“Oh! She listened to you all the time in school!”

They all burst into laughter.

“Yes!” she grinned.

“Sit down, I’ll set out the food.”

“No, no, no, we’ve got this!” SeungHyun ran after her to the kitchen.

“I didn’t know Hwasa’s Queena-sitting rotation included the Kings,” she purred drunkenly.

“You’re on the good shit, aren’t you?” JiYong looked into her eyes. “Daebak.”

“I had xrays and therapy, it was necessary.”

The men looked at one another and sighed.

“Is the rumor true? EXO sasaengs?” YoungBae asked her.

“Ne,” she sighed. “I thought for sure it would be an NCT fan, but it was my brother’s. They were after Hannah and got me as a bonus.”

“So,” JiYong clapped his hands together. “Please tell me you’re moving to Germany for good.”

“Ah…” she shook her head. “I want to.”

“You’re what, 24 this year? 25? What’s keeping you here?”

“Family?”

“That didn’t stop you from moving to LA when you were a kid, sis.”

She rolled her eyes around. “It’s more complicated now.”

“Why? Do you… you do! You have a boyfriend!”

“No!”

“What boyfriend?!” SeungHyun yelled from the kitchen.

“Yuta, WonHo, Jimin, or TaeHyung?” YoungBae teased her. “Those are the ones on the webs right now, right?”

“Stop,” she giggled.

“It’s Jimin,” JiYong watched her, a smug smile on his face. “Yuta’s her watchdog. WonHo’s a decoy. TaeHyung’s a friend.”

“I really hate you,” she whined as the men laughed.

“Wow, three men. No wonder it’s complicated,” YoungBae smirked at her.

“Be nice, I nearly got into a fight over you in Busan!” she pointed to him.

“What?!”

“Jimin Park, the artist formerly known as Park Jimin… mouthed off that you were a fuckboy.”

“He used to be,” JiYong mumbled.

“But he’s not now!” she laughed. “She said that all kpop guys who are gym rats were fuckboys and that Jimin was the biggest of them all. It took all I had not to knock the bitch out.”

“Language!” SeungHyun yelled at her. He hated it when women cussed.

“Sorry, Oppa!”

“Thank you for defending my honor,” YoungBae bowed to her.

“You didn’t hit her. So what did you do?” JiYong asked her.

“I sympathized with her. I mean… it must suck to do a search for your name and always get Jimin’s pictures popping up.”

“Ooohhh!” they howled in laughter.

“That’s why she’s Queena Kim!” JiYong hugged her.

“You have definitely been spending too much time with ChaeLin,” YoungBae shook his head.

They all looked up as MinYeon’s grandmother placed a tray of food on the table before them. “Have a nice dinner. Your father is here to pick me up.”

“He’s not coming up?” she asked in Japanese.

“I told him you have guests.”

“You aren’t staying for food?” she asked again.

“Not tonight, angel. Spend time with your oppas,” she kissed her forehead. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Okay. Have a safe drive home,” she watched her leave.

“Goodbye,” the men all rose to their feet and bowed lowly.

“She really didn’t want to watch the red carpet, did she?” SeungHyun chuckled.

“I talk too much,” she smirked before reaching for galbi.

“There has never been a truer word spoken,” JiYong teased her.

They continued to eat as the red carpet for the Golden Disc Awards began.

“Oooh, look at JiSoo’s dress…. Nice,” she purred.

“Why does Jennie look like she’s wearing a wedding dress?” YoungBae smirked.

“For her boyfriend,” MinYeon smirked.

They all turned to her.

“You didn’t know she’s dating Kai-oppa?”

“We’re in the Army, little one. We don’t have time to keep up with kpop gossip,” SeungHyun informed her teasingly.

“I keep up enough for all of you,” she waved them off. “Ooh. Wow. Synchronized platform black stilettos,” she commented on Twice’s footwear.

“The Japanese’s one’s cute,” JiYong nodded.

“Which one?” MinYeon turned her eyes to him.

“That one.”

“Momo? She and Heechul-oppa have a thing.”

“Well damn,” he sighed.

“Song looks exhausted,” SeungHyun watched iKon speak.

“He’s dropped off gifts and flowers, but hasn’t had time to see me. He’s running on fumes,” she sighed. “Oh wow, look at Hwasa’s hair. It’s so pretty. Solar’s pantsuit makes her look so tall. My friends are so hot,” she sighed.

“We’ve noticed,” the men all answered.

“Vernon looks less than thrilled to be making hearts with JeongHan,” YoungBae laughed.

“He’s probably being silently threatened with death,” MinYeon giggled.

“And Monsta X is mass chaos. I love them,” JiYong laughed.

“HyungWon and that seaweed dance,” MinYeon shook her head. “And WonHo always pretends to pick his nose. They make me laugh.”

“Remember the year Leeteuk and Heechul were enlisted and SuJu had to perform without them?” YoungBae smirked.

“Siwon looked like an exhausted single father and YeSung was just drunk,” SeungHyun laughed.

“That’s the year of your ‘Cruella Deville’ hairdo, right?” MinYeon asked a his groupmates burst into laughter.

“Yes, dongsaeng,” he sneered at her.

“Wait, that’s Bangtan?” YoungBae’s mouth dropped open. “When did they turn into runway models?”

“Right?” she hummed.

“Those little hip hop punks are gone.”

“Their stylist noonas need a raise,” she purred as she looked over her man in his black suit, his blonde hair swept up to the side. “Damn, they look good.”

“You okay, sis?” JiYong laughed at her.

“I’m really wishing my hip wasn’t broken right now,” she giggled.

He continued to watch her. “How serious are you guys?”

“I don’t want to talk about it,” she turned away.

“Not even to me?”

“Dating idols sucks,” she hissed. “I hate it.”

“Then don’t do it.”

She rolled her eyes.

“Too late,” YoungBae watched her.

“I seriously can’t talk about it.”

“Then we’ll change the subject,” JiYong nodded. “Let’s talk about Hwasa’s ass in that dress.”

“Oh yeah!” she grinned.

#

MinYeon lay on the massage table on her back as one therapist held her down by her hips and another raised her injured leg. It was difficult to do with the large knee brace, but they managed to push and pull on her hip joint in traction and counter traction.

“Aish…” she closed her eyes as the stretch became painful.

“Breathe,” they instructed as EunJae and her brother JunHee watched from the sofa, cringing at their cousin’s pain.

“It will get better as you walk more.”

“I look forward to it,” she gritted her teeth.

“Please keep in mind that you had a Grade 2 tear to your hip flexor that was repaired. The muscles are healing as well.”

“And yet tugging on them seems like the best plan of action today?” she growled.

“We’re getting blood flow to the areas that need to heal.”

“Awesome,” she rolled her eyes.

A thick, frozen pad was placed across her hip as the lights were dimmed and she relaxed.

“Do you need anything, cousin?” EunJae called out.

“Whisky,” she snipped as her phone rang.

“Yeobosayo?” JunHee answered the video chat for his cousin.

“Anneyonghaseyo… I’m calling MinYeon-ie?”

“One second,” he handed the phone to her.

“Eunnie,” she looked tired and pained.

“Baby girl, how you doin’?” she asked in English.

“I just had my hip stretched. I’ll be fine,” she sighed.

“I want to cheer you up, so… meet your new nephew!” she turned her phone onto a litter of newborn Pomeranian puppies.

“OH MY FUCKING GOD!” she squealed as her cousins rolled their eyes. “Which one?”

“The champagne colored one,” she pointed. “That’s my Chewy!”

“Awww. I can’t wait to meet him.”

“He’s three weeks old, so it will be a while. I can send you puppy pictures to cheer you up, though.”

“Thank you. It has already helped me forget the pain of my therapists,” she glared across the room at them.

Later that night, she enjoyed pizza while sitting between Hyuna and E’Dawn while watching Day 2 of the Golden Disc Awards. Once the show was over, she assured the couple that she was going to change and go straight to bed.

Once they were gone, she realized that it was the first moment since the incident that she had been alone.

She hobbled off to her studio and opened the door, staring inside for a long while before turning on the lights and stepping inside.

One by one, she turned on the equipment and looked around. She stared at the splint on her right hand and tried to move her fingers. She frowned and pursed her lips for a moment before trying to play a chord. The sound that came out of the speakers was fairly horrid. She tried again over and over until something decent was produced before continuing onto a song.

She angered when mistake after mistake was made, slamming her left fist down onto the keys.

“Fuck this,” she reached for her pink crystal studded Beats and pulled them on before searching for a song file she had been working on in December. She clicked on the mouse and waited as the music began. The ringing in her right ear was so bad that she could only hear the right side. She tried turning up the volume, but it was no use. There were some tones she couldn’t hear at all and her head felt unbalanced.

She yelled, letting out all of her fears, frustrations, anger, and pain as she slammed her fists over and over onto the keys of the keyboard. She didn't hear the door open as she wailed, her cries echoing thought he apartment as footsteps ran to the studio and stopped at the door.

He saw the look in her eyes. She was about to tear the whole thing down.

“Min-ah!” he ran in and wrapped his arms around her.

“No!” she screamed.

“Shhh,” he kissed her cheek. “I’ve got you, Baby.”

“I can’t… I can’t…”

“It will heal, baby. It will take time.”

“They took it away!” she yelled at him. “I can’t hear! I can’t play! I’m useless!”

“Look at me.”

She looked up into his eyes, covered in colored contacts and lined in makeup. She pulled back and looked him over. “Did you come straight here?”

“Yes,” he wiped his thumbs under her eyes. “You are not useless. You’re injured. It will take time, but you’re going to be okay.”

“This isn’t okay,” she cried.

“You’ve got me. Everything’s okay.”

She rolled her eyes.

“Hey,” he took her hands and pulled her back. “No one else has to ever know you’re not perfect. Just me.”

Her chest heaved as she fought another round of tears. “What are you saying?”

That didn’t have the impact he thought it would. “You will always be perfect to me. Even right now, though you can’t see it, you’re perfect.”

“Lies,” she pulled away.

“No,” he laughed.

“You’re full of shit,” she complained.

He sighed as he tilted his head and sighed. “I’m here. I’m not going anywhere. Get huffy. Curse at me all you want. Take all of your frustrations out on me and I’ll still be here. I love you.”

She pouted as he pulled her into his arms.

“I think we should take a shower, get into our flannel pajamas, and cuddle the rest of the night.”

She pulled back and nodded, wiping under her eyes.

He cupped her cheeks and looked into her eyes. “It will get better. I promise.”

“You can’t promise that.”

“I can, because I know you. You’re a badass. You will blast past this and be hiking Achasan again by spring.”

She couldn’t help but smile at him. “Okay.”

“Okay,” he kissed her before helping her off to the bathroom.


	11. FEBRUARY – THE MOMENT I SHOULD SHINE THE MOST, I TAKE MY MASK OFF

“So let me get this straight,” MinYeon walked around her apartment as she packed her suitcase, speaking over a video chat with Yuta. “You have a show in Osaka tonight.”

“Hai.”

“You are flying back to Seoul, with your group, tomorrow.”

“Hai.”

“Then, you are coming to Guri the night after that to start shooting our trip… that will leave for Osaka the day after that.”

“Nothing gets past you, you’re a genius,” he teased her.

“That is insane!” she hissed.

“Any chance to see my home is worth it. Plus, I’m sure the brilliant Queena Kim knows that the flight is only an hour long.”

“Flights are flights, my dude, and you seem to hop on one every other day.”

“That’s kind of my job.”

“Okay,” she threw her head back dramatically. “I got the itinerary from SM. It scares me how nice they’re being.”

“You and I are doing all the work and they get to stamp their brand on it. Everyone wins.”

“Valid point,” she agreed.

“Will MinSeok-ie-hyung be having dinner with us?”

“I’m still not sure about that. He’s moving into his new apartment as we speak and he’s very… meticulous. I’m not sure if he’ll allow himself to relax enough to enjoy a filmed meal at the moment, but I will keep asking.”

“Are you sure your hip and knee are up to all of this walking?”

“I seemed to do fine in Santiago for SM Town.”

“You were in bed for two days when we got home,” he smirked.

“I’ll be fine,” she snipped. “Oh, Johnny’s birthday is the day we get back.”

“We leave for Hiroshima the next day, I don’t think our managers will let us go out.”

“You are a beast,” she referred to the flying.

“Damn right, baby,” he nodded arrogantly. “Oh, I had t-shirts made for us.”

“Does is say ‘Yuta is a God’ or…”

“I knew I should have run it past you first, that’s brilliant!”

“I know,” she giggled.

“I can’t wait. This is going to be so much fun. I can’t wait to see your Obahan as she returns to see how much everything has changed.”

“She’s very excited to be spending Seollal at her birthplace. This was a great idea.”

He looked up and nodded, switching back to Korean before mumbling lowly. “Gotta go. Time for rehearsal.”

“Text me when you’re on your way.”

“Okay. Byeeeeeee!”

“Bye!” she grinned before ending the call and going back to work.

#

Jimin walked into the apartment and looked around. “Min-ah! We have an appointment and we’re already late!”

“I can’t be late if I didn’t know about it,” she peeked out of her studio.

“At least you’re dressed. Let’s go.”

“I’m in the middle of something!”

“Pause it, Baby.”

She raised her eyebrows and sighed before pressing send and clicking on a button for a video chat.

“Hey Mina,” a deep male voice answered in English.

“Did I wake you?”

“Nah,” he yawned as Jimin peeked his head into the doorway of her studio.

“I reworked the pre-chorus and changed the lyric in the second verse. I just sent it. Let me know what else you need and I’ll work on it tomorrow.”

“Hot date tonight?”

“Apparently so,” she smirked. “Later, Abe!”

“Have a good night, sexy,” he chuckled before ending the call.

“Was that…” Jimin raised his eyebrows.

“Able… also known as The Weeknd. It’s the first song I’ve worked on since the accident and I’m taking it slow. The buzzing’s still there, but… it’s getting better.”

“Cool. Let’s go,” he pointed to the door and dashed off.

She mumbled off a string of curse words before turning off the light and dashing off to grab a pair of shoes. “Where am I driving?” she smirked.

“Guri.”

“Oh. There are worse things,” she took his hand as they walked out the door.

“You know that fortune teller a few doors down from the kebab place?”

“Yeah, Oppa visits her every year.”

“That’s where we’re going.”

“At this hour?”

“I made the appointment for ten thinking it would give us plenty of time.”

“You were mistaken,” she giggled as they stepped onto the elevator.

As the doors closed, he pulled her in for a kiss. “Hi.”

“Hi,” she sighed happily. “How was your day?”

“Recording today. Not bad.”

“Good,” she pulled away on instinct as the doors opened. She led him to her brother’s car, looking around cautiously before unlocking it and sliding in. Just as they pulled onto the street, her phone rang.

“Yeobosayo?” she asked over the car’s speaker.

“Can you run an errand for me?” her brother immediately asked.

“That’s why I have your car, Oppa. What do you need?”

“A bike.”

She rolled her eyes around for a moment. “Can you… elaborate please?”

“A stationary bike that will fit behind the sofa.”

“You’re unpacking your home and that’s what you need? What about dishes? Chopsticks? A rice steamer?”

“At this moment, I need a bike. I’m stressed out.”

“Ah,” she grinned as Jimin covered his mouth in an attempt not to laugh. “Okay, so I apparently have an appointment in Guri, but I will head to the e-mart as soon as we’re finished.”

“Oh? What are you guys doing in Guri?”

“Fortune teller,” Jimin answered.

“Ah. Happy New Year!”

“Happy New Year!” they both laughed.

“Will we see you at dinner on Tuesday? Yuta would like to see you.”

“I will try,” he sighed. “Call me when you get there so I can tell you what I want.”

“Okay. Byeeeeee,” she ended the call.

“I love your brother, he makes me laugh,” Jimin chuckled.

“You and me both,” she turned onto the road toward Achasan.

He watched her drive for a moment. “So.”

“So?”

“Valentine’s Day in in ten days.”

She cocked her eyebrow. This sounded like a moment of mandatory romance was being dropped in her lap again.

“Big Hit wants to shoot a new Sonyeonja episode.”

“There it is,” she sighed.

“You and the girls have a meeting on the tenth. Marcus was notified before I left.”

“Okay,” she focused on her driving.

“It’ll be fun.”

“Not as fun as what I had planned,” she hummed.

“What did you have planned?”

“Nothing that should be recorded for others to see,” she smirked.

“Tell me…”

“Just… chocolate, what are you expecting?”

“From you?” he raised his eyebrows. “It can’t be that simple.”

“Oh, it’s very simple… I smear the chocolate on my body and you eat it off. It’s not complicated.”

“Damn it, Min-ah,” he adjusted his seat as he looked out the window.

She smiled smugly as she glanced at the mirror. “Another time, I suppose.”

“Perhaps,” she turned another street.

They walked hand-in-hand into the tiny shop and waited until the were called back into the office of the fortune teller.

“I’m sorry we’re late,” Jimin bowed. “Work ran over tonight.”

“That’s fine. As soon as you told me you were born in October, I knew you’d be late.”

MinYeon raised her eyebrows and laughed.

The woman stopped as she gazed over MinYeon for a long moment. She then turned to Jimin and nodded before turning back to MinYeon. She stared at her as she spoke.

“Pigs and monkeys are not suited for romance.”

She raised her eyebrows. “How did you know about that?”

“I can read you like an open book, child. You should know that pigs and monkeys are the complete opposites. They’re great friends, but monkeys tend to get what they want and leave, if you know what I mean.”

“I haven’t dated that monkey in a very long time.”

She nodded her head as she made notes on a sheet of paper. MinYeon turned to Jimin and raised her eyebrows.

“Pigs and roosters make good romance, but roosters are uptight and pigs like to relax.”

It was Jimin’s turn to raise his eyebrows. YoonGi was a rooster… and so was WonHo.

“Roosters aren’t fond of cuddling, and pigs need constant touch.”

The couple turned to one another as she made more notes.

“What did you tell her?” she hissed lowly.

“Just my birth month,” he murmured.

“You are both destined to love pigs.”

They burst into giggles.

“We are friends with over 40 pigs, is there any way you can be a little more specific?”

She pursed her lips.

“The fortune teller in Pyeongchang used numbers,” Jimin suggested.

“As can I,” she nodded. “Birthdate?”

“October 13, 1995,” they answered together.

Her eyes widened. “Interesting. Time?”

“Zero o’clock,” she nodded.

“Twelve o’clock,” Jimin followed.

“Yin and Yang, yet the same,” she hummed. “Same province?”

“Busan.”

“Maseok.”

“It was cold?”

“Ne.”

“That is why you both like to cuddle,” she smiled as she began to compute numbers on the paper. “Work is a four, wealth a four… you both work hard and are fortunate. Love… is a three. Health… fluctuates. It will eventually be a four.”

Both waited silently to see what it all meant.

“Separately, you have numbers missing. Together, your numbers balance you.”

Their mouths dropped open at her choice of words. Balance. They both craved balance and found that in one another.

“There are less accidents and mistakes when you’re together. You make poor choices when others pull you apart.”

They remained speechless at her choices of words.

“You both have fast tempers.”

“We’re spicy Koreans,” Jimin grinned at her.

“You take great delight in the same foods and material objects. You enjoy your time together immensely.”

Then both smiled and nodded their heads.

“You shower one another with love and affection, but you have a tendency to over spend.”

They glanced at one another.

“You flirt with everyone; it is almost an artform for you. It is a communication style that many misinterpret. You love lounging on the weekends, snacking, coffee, cuddles, and kisses. You are amazingly attracted to the kisses of one another.

“I feel so seen,” MinYeon whispered.

“It’s like she’s been spying on us,” he agreed.

“Your sex life is rigorous. You’re hot and steamy and will often take a break or two to snack, cuddle, and return for the next round.”

“Wow,” they both stared at the woman.

“You are perfect together in every way.”

“Does that mean that he’s my pig, though?” MinYeon smirked. “Will we stay together?”

“What could break up a perfect match? These numbers don’t just fall out of the sky, everything about you balances out.”

“The others you spoke about… they have authority over us and request for us to stay apart sometimes.”

She frowned as she reached for a deck of cards and shuffled them.

Jimin reached for MinYeon’s hand and squeezed it.

“So many secrets… secrets about secrets… great distances… many time spans apart… it will be difficult. You have to decide if it is worth the pain. If you can withstand the hardships, you will be very happy together. It will take… four years.”

MinYeon placed her hand over her chest as her eyes filled with tears. “What happened to 2020?”

“You will be very happy in 2020, yet there are still more obstacles until you reach the point when you will never be separated again. Again… so many secrets even the two of you are unaware. Four years.”

“Four years? We’ll finally be together the year of my conscription?”

“You are together now… but there are secrets swirling around. Your love is stronger than your pain, but you sometimes can’t see that. I’m sorry. You’re still so young, but trust me… it will be here before you know it.”

Both were quiet as they walked back to the car. She slid behind the wheel and stared at the dashboard without moving.

“Talk to me,” he whispered.

“We almost broke up after five months. How in the hell are we supposed to do this for four years?”

“I don’t know,” he ran his fingers through his hair. “She said many time spans apart… is there something else besides Germany?”

She shrugged her shoulders. “Maybe she counts your touring?”

He reached for her hand and brushed his thumb over her knuckles. “We have made it through so much to be right here, Min-ah. Maybe it will be easier now?”

“That’s not what she said,” she turned to him. “It’s going to be like this for four years. We are never going to get a break.”

“Then make me a promise.”

She pulled her hair over her ear as she waited.

“We can fight. We can stop speaking to one another for a while. We can date other people and we can live in different countries… but we will never break up.”

“I’m not sure you understand the meaning of breaking up, because it is everything you just said.”

“I never thought I’d be a possessive guy. I never expected to be a person who looked at another individual and said, ‘you are mine’ and meant it—but you are mine. You’re MY Min-ah. You’re MY Baby. You were made for me. I can deal with all the other shit if I know that you’re still mine.”

She reached across the car and kissed him. “Always,” she breathed across his lips.

#

The three couples stepped off of the airplane to Fukuoka and were whipped through the airport using private breezeways. They were quickly escorted into black vans with dark, tinted windows and were on their way before most people were even through customs.

SeokJin and MiHyeon seemed to be in their own world most of the time, reminiscing about their first date and the fact that they committed while in Japan. They had a lot of history together with this country and were definitely in a mood for romance.

Though only twelve miles from the airport, the drive took a great deal longer due to speed over the bridges between islands and the ferry. The view however was amazing and none of them minded in the least.

They finally arrived at a resort that housed a hotel and open-air hot springs, which made MinYeon smile. The dense water was going to feel great on her achy hip.

The couples were led to a conference room where they sat at a table and awaited instructions. It was never easy with Big Hit. There was never just a vacation or getaway. There had to be entertainment value with their stay and Valentine’s Day was no exception.

“Welcome to Shikanoshima,” the concierge spoke in Japanese, which only one of them didn’t speak. Seouli raised her eyebrows and looked at NamJoon.

“I gotchu,” he whispered in English before kissing her cheek.

“You are at Kyukamura Shikajima, which is an island resort in the Genkai Sea. Kinji no yu is the only hot spring on the island with a mineral-rich source and high heat that is amazing for the treatment of nerve pain and other ailments.”

Jimin grinned as he glanced at MinYeon.

“I’ve been told that your management will dispense with further information, but should you need anything at all please do not hesitate to contact the front desk.”

“Thank you,” the bowed to him as SeJin walked to the head of the table and smirked at them.

“Here we go,” SeokJin sighed.

“Nope. It’s not like that this time. The only requirement today is for you to choose an adventure that all three couples can do together. Your itinerary only consists of dinner and the hot springs will be closed down for you this evening for a private spa date.”

They all stared at him.

“Rooms?” Jimin asked slowly.

“You’re sharing rooms, because that’s what Valentine’s Day is about,” he teased him.

“What’s the catch?” NamJoon asked.

“None. You all went through a horrible experience in December and our MinYeon-ah is still healing. This was Bang-PD-nim’s idea. He things the waters will be good for healing.”

“I’m overwhelmed,” she bowed.

“Just… relax and enjoy your time together.”

The room was silent.

“This is so… normal,” Seouli spoke up.

“I have no idea how to process this,” MiHyeon looked around.

“I think we should decide what we’re doing before they change their minds,” Jimin mumbled as NamJoon reached for the guide.

They ended up visiting ‘Marine World’ and taking a hike to the observatory before calling it a day. Returning to the hotel, they enjoyed a relaxing dinner before finding their rooms. There, they spent an hour before finding their way to the hot spring for a nice, quiet, peaceful evening.

The night wound down as the couples once again retreated to their rooms. Jimin found MinYeon, as he always did, looking out of their balcony toward the sea. He smiled as he wrapped his arms around her and kissed her neck. Nothing was said, it didn’t need to be. They were together without another worry in the world. There were no fans, no managers, no friends or foes, and no classmates. It was the two of them, together.

The first week of the new year was already better than the entire part of 2018 they were together. He didn’t want to jinx them by saying it aloud, but he sincerely hoped that the rest of the year would be as easy as this day. “Thank you,” he whispered against her neck.

“All I’ve done today is push a dump truck load of chocolate on you,” she smiled. “Mochi fans are going to love your squishy cheeks at the next few shows.”

He laughed as he tightened his hug around her. “For that, too,” he calmed down. “I love you.”

She closed her eyes and sighed. “I think I’m just going to stay here, and I’m going to find a way to chain you to the bed. Park Jimin will never make it back to Seoul. No one will find us here and if they do, we’ll take to the woods.”

“You have it all planned.”

“Turn off your phone, they can’t find us without GPS.”

“Okay,” he kissed her cheek. “Done. We’re off the grid.”

“Good.”

“Yeah,” he sighed.

“I love you too.”

#

The problem with being secret kpop girlfriends is that you’re secret. When you travel with your boyfriend to another country for their shows, you can’t exactly hop on a plane with him to come home. That is why the company makes all of the travel arrangements and routes said girlfriends through Daegu.

Still, flashbulbs went off as the three landed. Due to the accident in December, the world now knew that Seouli Luke was a local exercise physiologist and athletic trainer who was close friends with rapper Hannah Park and EXO’s Princess, Mina Kim. She also happened to train at the same gym as Bangtan RM’s cousin Seo JiYeon, an MMA fighter, but they had yet to catch onto that.

“How are we doing ladies?” MiHyeon asked while walking toward a waiting rental van.

“Get me there and I’ll be fine,” MinYeon gritted her teeth through the pain.

Screams and even more flashes blinded them as they realized that BTS had just arrived and were speeding through the airport.

“Cutting it a bit close, aren’t they?” Seouli complained.

“They have secret tunnels and get through quicker,” MiHyeon sighed.

“What’s the point in keeping our distance then?” MinYeon complained.

“I know,” she sighed.

“It’ll look suspicious if I see my BFFs at the airport and don’t at least wave,” MinYeon rolled her eyes.

“Then keep looking forward,” Seouli popped off.

“Ladies,” the driver greeted them and helped them into the van before taking their luggage and throwing it into the back.

“If we go to my place, I can work on your hip,” Seouli turned to MinYeon. “Do you have any pain pills with you?”

“No.”

“I’ll fix you up,” she offered.

“I’m good with that.”

The driver hopped in and took off as screams like they never heard before caught their attention. They all looked out the back to see a crowd around Bangtan’s vans as the gates to the airport suddenly closed. The van driver stopped and threw the van into park, placing his hands on the steering wheel.

“That’s not good,” MiHyeon went into manager mode and jumped out of the van. She looked back at the van to see security swarm the entire area. “Stay in the van,” she whispered, looking around. “Stay in the van!” she yelled.

She jumped back into the van as they were suddenly surrounded by police and flashing lights.

“What’s going on?” MinYeon asked anyone who would listen.

“Identification now!”

The driver immediately produced his credentials as the women handed over their passports. He then pulled his communicator up to his lips. “I’ve got the three ladies, they’re still on the airport premises.”

MiHyeon knew better than to ask questions; he wouldn’t tell her anyway. She only stood and waited.

MinMandooo: Please tell me you’re okay.

She had never felt as helpless as she did at that moment. She stared at her phone and kept looking up at the crowd as police and security had pushed everyone away. All they could see was Jimin, holding his head, speaking to a police officer, as two people in black masks were lying on the ground.

“Oh no,” she whispered. “No, no, no.”

“He’s fine, Yeon-ah,” MiHyeon was at her side in a flash. “Look at him. He’s walking and talking. He is fine.”

“I can’t…” she grabbed at her chest. “I can’t breathe.”

“Look at me,” she held her shoulders. “Don’t look at them. Look at me.”

Seouli received a phone call and immediately answered. “Yeobosayo? Yes. Yes. Okay,” she handed the phone across the driver, to the policeman. He spoke for a few minutes before handing it back.

“Ladies, I will be taking you to Big Hit in my car. Please come with me.”

They quickly looked at one another.

“That was SeJin-nim on the phone,” Seouli answered slowly.

“If SeJin had time to call, the situation is under control. Okay?” MiHyeon did her best to calm down MinYeon.

She nodded as they were escorted to the police car and rushed off to Big Hit.

They news suddenly filled with an incident from Incheon International Airport of an attack on at least one member of the kpop group Bangtan Sonyeondan and a second attempt at an attack on Kim MinYeon and Park MiHyeon.

Their phones began to go crazy as MiHyeon let out a frustrated growl.

“Don’t answer them. Turn off your phones. We don’t know what’s going on.”

“What if Jimin—”

“Yeon-ah. He won’t be calling. They’re taking us to Big Hit because it’s safe. Turn off your phone.”

She rolled her eyes helplessly as she obeyed and placed it into her bag.

Security had already been set up at the office and the parking garage blocked off as they were let in. They were met at the doors by Bang-PD-nim himself.

“Thank God you’re all okay,” he hugged each of them.

“Bang-nim,” MiHyeon spoke softly. “Are they okay?”

“As far as I know, yes. Please find your way to the big conference room and wait. Rest assured that you are completely safe here.”

MinYeon looked over her shoulder to see police cars everywhere and nodded her head. “Safe.”

#

The quiet was deafening. The women waited at the table, staring at their hands, scenarios filling their heads as staff rushed around in the halls. Occasionally, one would pop in to offer them drinks and snacks, but no one was offering information.

It seemed like hours before the door finally opened and TaeHyung stepped inside.

“Well that was exciting!” he grinned.

“I’m going to punch you in the face,” MinYeon angered at him. “No one’s told us anything!”

“It’s okay, Noona,” JeongGuk hugged her. “He’s fine.”

She looked up at the door to see Jimin holding a cold pack to the back of his head. She pushed away and went directly to him.

“I’m okay,” he assured her lowly.

“What happened,” tears flowed down her cheeks.

MiHyeon looked SeokJin over as he smirked at her.

“How are you?” he asked before kissing her.

“I’ve been better,” she sighed.

Seouli looked around and waited as YoonGi and Hoseok walked in and plopped down into their seats.

Jimin rolled his eyes over to YoonGi and pursed his brows as MinYeon cried into his chest.

“Fuck,” he sighed as he too looked frustrated.

NamJoon was the last to enter. He closed the door behind him. There were no managers and no staff members, just the group and their ladies. He looked troubled and angry, but he was ultimately the one in charge.

“Please take a seat,” he spoke solemnly.

“What’s going on?” Seouli asked him.

MinYeon used a tissue and straightened up before looking back up into Jimin’s face. He wouldn’t look at her. He was angry about something, but she couldn’t read him. Why couldn’t she read him?

“There is a group of sasaengs who have been following MinMin since the accident in December. They have been posting to social media that they were going to finish what the girls who ran you down failed to do,” NamJoon stretched his jaw. “They followed you last month when you celebrated your 200th day.”

MinYeon raised her eyebrows as her heart pounded against her chest.

“They didn’t manage to get a clear photo, but they saw me kiss you outside the restaurant,” Jimin stared at his hands. “This is my fault.”

MinYeon glanced up at TaeHyung, who was also staring off. Not one single member of the group could look at her.

“They… somehow… knew you were in Japan with us. They saw you together at the airport… they planned to kidnap you,” NamJoon was the only one looking at her. “They didn’t expect separate flights and different vans.”

She turned to Jimin.

“I saw your van leave and wasn’t paying attention. I almost got into the wrong van. When I realized it wasn’t ours, they grabbed me,” Jimin explained lowly. “I hit my head on the side of the van, but there’s no way I was going to let them get me.”

“You should have seen him hit the one…” JeongGuk laughed as they all turned to him and glared. He closed his mouth and looked down quietly.

“There are others. They are organized. They have no proof that any of us are dating, but it’s a matter of time,” NamJoon explained.

“I can’t take you to therapy anymore, Min-ah,” Jimin spoke the hardest sentence he ever had to force out of his mouth. “I can’t… come see you at all.”

“We’re on blackout orders again. None of us can communicate with you.”

YoonGi rolled his eyes to the ceiling in anger, tears of his own threatening to fall.

“If you do have to be at the same event, it must be planned between our managers and chaperoned by friends.”

“We have to be seen with other people again,” Jimin finally looked at her.

“What?” she felt her heart break. “Again?”

“Just a few months…”

“Then I’ll be in Germany… we might as well break up.”

“That’s not an option,” he answered quickly. “You promised me, remember?”

“How am I supposed to be safe by myself? I barely made it through the airport.”

“Your manager will take care of that,” NamJoon answered.

“You’ve already been hit by a car, Yeon-ah. We can’t take the chance these people will hurt you again,” TaeHyung pleaded with her from across the table.

She nodded her head quietly. There was no use in arguing. It was done. The decision had been made. There was no other reason why everyone else in the room looked so sad.

She had just been ghosted to her face.

“I guess there’s no reason for me to be here,” she nodded before pushing away from the table.

“Baby…” Jimin reached for her, but she pulled away. They met eyes for a moment before she walked out of the room.

#

JHope sat at the table and stared at a bowl of rice as the others sat quietly.

“Happy birthday!”

He looked up to see his friends HyungWon and MinHyuk from Monsta X.

“Hi!” he threw on his mask of happiness and rose to hug him. “Thank for coming!”

“Anytime!”

YoonGi nodded to him before tipping his head back with a whiskey.

TaeHyung arrived with JeongGuk in tow and placed their gifts in the corner next to their hyung.

“Is Jimin coming?” YoonGi whispered to them.

“Ne,” TaeHyung answered uncomfortably. “He had to pick up his date.”

He sat back and stared at him for a moment before sliding his phone out of his pocket.

MYG_93: How are you?

He slid his phone back into his pocket as he locked eyes with SeokJin, who tilted his head and raised his eyebrows.

He wasn’t sorry. There was no way in hell he wasn’t going to check on her. No one on the planted was going to force him to do the one thing he knew would break her—ignore her.

“She’s not answering,” TaeHyung whispered. “I’ve been trying all day.”

“Some blackout order,” he smirked.

“Front kick! Hana!” the grand master called out commands as each number was returned with a “kihap!”

MinYeon had stretched really well before class, and had even taken a pain pill, but was finding it more and more difficult to keep up.

“Turn! Side kick! Hana! Deul! Set!”

She struggled, but she completed the entire warm-up. The grand master ordered a water break before pulling her aside.

“I can see the pain on your face, MinYeon-ie. You’re not ready yet.”

“Kwan Jang-nim, I’m fine,” she smiled for him. “If I can hike Achasan, I can kick the air.”

He eyed her for a moment. “I need you to instruct the babies tonight.”

She glanced over her shoulder at the preschoolers and nodded her head. “I would love to.”

He nodded toward them and sighed. She was a hard-headed girl, but no one could accuse her of being weak.

Jimin walked into the restaurant, pulling a beautiful girl behind him and smiled brightly for everyone. “Happy birthday, Hyung!” he yelled over everyone as NamJoon smiled and looked away.

“He’s already drunk,” JeongGuk whispered to SeokJin.

“Yup,” he slapped the table before holding up his glass. “And soon we will be too! To Hobi!”

“To Hobi!”

Jimin emptied his entire glass before turning to TaeHyung. “This is Areum. Areum, V, JK, Jin, Suga, RM, and J-Hope,” he referred to them as their stage names. “There is HyungWon and MinHyuk, and LeeTeuk… oh, hi hyung-nim!” he waved.

They all waved and nodded.

“Jimin-ie,” YoonGi leaned into him. “I might be the last one to talk, but maybe you should slow down a little.”

“I’m good!” he sipped on water. “See? I’m fine.”

He nodded before letting out a sigh.

“So… Areum-ssi… how did you meet our Jimin-ie?”

“We actually met at a photo shoot a while back. I’m a photographer’s assistant…”

“I thought you looked familiar,” TaeHyung smiled at her. “Welcome.”

“Thank you,” she rested her hand on Jimin’s knee and leaned into him. “I like your friends.”

“That’s good because I do too.”

“J Hoooooooope!”

They looked up to see Chanyeol and Baekhyun walk up to the table.

“Aish,” Jimin sighed as he looked away.

“Thank you for coming!” he hugged each of them.

Chanyeol took a seat and looked across the table at Areum. He had an odd expression on his face as he turned to Jimin. “Hello,” he nodded.

“Hyung-nim,” he used his manners.

“Wow!” Baekhyun laughed nervously. “This is… a great party.”

YoonGi burst into laughter before walking off to use the restroom.

MinYeon limped into her apartment and stopped to see her brother on her sofa. “Oh… hi.”

“What the hell are you doing?” he watched her struggle. “You haven’t been cleared for TaeKwonDo!”

“I had to,” she dropped her gear bag as she looked at him. “I’m not going to sit here by myself and…” she stopped and shook her head.

He shook his head before walking to the kitchen to retrieve some ice. “I came to get my car, but it looks like you may need it a little longer.”

“I am perfectly capable of taking the train or taxis,” she dropped onto the sofa.

“That doesn’t mean you should,” he walked back in and dropped a bag of ice into her lap before handing her a bottle of water.

“Thank you,” she puckered her lips at him before placing the ice on her hip and opening the bottle.

“Have you heard from him?” he sat beside her and threw his arm across her shoulder.

“He and NamJoon-ie are the only two I have not gotten a text from today. So much for the blackout order.”

“Chan-ie and Baekhyun-ie went to J-hope’s birthday party. He’s apparently there with a date.”

“He does nothing half-assed,” she sighed. “Once a fuckboy, always a fuckboy.”

“You don’t mean that,” he wrapped his arm around her neck and pulled her in for a hug. He kissed her cheek and sighed. “I’m sorry, Min-ah. I wish I could fix this.”

“You tried to stop me,” she smiled. “I didn’t listen. Lesson learned.”

His heart broke for her. “Have you eaten today?”

“Yes.”

He raised his eyebrows. “Did you keep it down?”

“No.”

He sighed as he reached for his phone. “Eomma would smack me if I didn’t feed you. Let’s try something completely unhealthy like… kimchi fries and deep fried gimbap.”

“That’s why you’re my favorite brother,” she rested her head against his shoulder.

#

MinYeon sat in the doctor’s office and waited at he looked over his notes. “You say your cycle has returned?”

“I had a period in January.”

He let out a sigh. “Your hormone levels are very, very bad. I would like to run more tests on you.”

“Why is that necessary?”

“I am afraid that due to your chronic malnutrition, your body had thrown itself into early menopause. I would like to make absolutely sure of what we’re dealing with and send you to a specialist. We may be able to save your eggs for future children you wish to have before your reproductive organs shut down completely.”

She stared at him, swallowing hard. That was a lot to take in for a 24-year-old woman.

“I will have my office set up the appointments and send them to your manager.”

“Thank you,” she answered numbly.

She was staring at the floor as she walked out to the hall where Marcus was waiting.

“How did it go?”

“Great,” she smiled tightly.

“Are you still up for lunch?”

“Sure,” she nodded before following him out of the hospital.

Jimin logged into MinYeon’s spotify and scanned through the last few songs she had listened to.

Bury A Friend – Billie Eilish

Everything I Wanted – Billie Eilish

I’m A Mess – Ed Sheeran

Unkiss Me – Maroon 5

I Don’t Miss You – Eric Nam

“Baby,” he sighed before running his fingers through his hair.

MinYeon clicked the button to submit a paper to her professor just as her phone began to ring. She glanced at the ID before answering. “Yeobosayo?”

“Hey beautiful,” he purred.

“It’s been a while. How are you?”

“Busy. No rest for the wicked.”

“You’re preaching to the choir,” she giggled.

“Hey, we’re headlining the ZPop concert on Saturday. Are you busy?”

She rolled her eyes around for a moment. “I have zero plans.”

“Awesome. We can go out for drinks after.”

“We?”

“The guys… us.”

“So… not a date?”

“Is that what you want?”

The breath caught in her throat. Did she want to date WonHo? “After the whole airport disaster, it might be better to go out in numbers.”

“Ah, good point. Will your manager be with you at the show then?”

“He doesn’t have to be,” she smirked.

“You’re safe with me, Minion-ah.”

The tone of his voice jolted her. She wasn’t prepared for that. “Okay.”

“I’ll text you the information.”

“I’ll be there.”

“I can’t wait to see you.”

“You too.”

He grinned before ending the call. He then looked up at MinHyuk and gave him a thumb’s up.

#

NamJoon looked up from his phone to see TaeHyung walk through the door. He waited a moment before asking. “Where’s Jimin-ie?”

“Bro, he’s been home all day.”

“He didn’t go to work today?”

He raised his eyebrows. “You need to do a search for KMY and WonHo,” he smirked before walking off.

He frowned for a moment before doing just that. Photo after photo of MinYeon at the Zpop concert the previous night were followed by fan pics of WonHo and MinYeon holding hands at a bar with the rest of Monsta X until early this morning.

“Fuck,” he sighed. They were both doing exactly as they were told to do. Why did he feel so miserable?

He slid his phone into his pocket and slowly walked up the stairs, down the hall, and to the room Jimin and Hoseok shared. He peeked in to see Jimin on his bed, staring at his phone. He looked as though he had been crying, but he’d never admit that.

He sat on Hoseok’s bed and watched him. “Are you okay?”

He rolled his eyes and rubbed his nose. “It’s my fault. I kissed her in public. I knew better and… I just did it.”

“You know she’s pretending, right?”

He burst into incredulous laughter. “No. If she was pretending, she’d be all over him. They’re just holding hands. She likes him.”

“You don’t know that…”

“I know My Baby like I know myself, hyung.”

He pressed his lips together and nodded his head. “Tuesday night is the Korean Music Awards. She has two songs up for awards and will be there. Bona and Hwasa are throwing a party for her after, and we’ve been invited. If at least three of us go, and you go with a date, we can go.”

He nodded his head silently.

“Is that a yes?”

“Me… showing up to her party… with a date…” he sighed.

“I know. It sucks. I’m sorry, but that’s all we can do.”

“If that’s as close as I can get… I’ll take it.”

He nodded his head. “Okay.”

#

MinYeon walked up to the table and grinned.

“Wow. We finally meet face to face,” Eric Nam smiled as he hugged her. “I feel like I already know the great Queena Kim.”

“You practically do,” she laughed before sliding into her seat. “Thanks for calling, I’ve been wanting to try this place.”

“It’s great. Their burgers taste just like home.”

“Awesome.”

He watched her for a moment. “You are way cooler than I thought you’d be.”

“How so?”

“I’m friends with Jimin Park…”

“Oh,” she sang. “Got it.”

“What the hell happened?”

“She ran her mouth about my friends. I had to defend them.”

“You went for the jugular from what I’ve heard.”

“From whom did you hear it?”

“Johnny.”

“I’d say it’s fairly accurate then,” she nodded.

“Wow. Remind me not to piss you off.”

“Does that mean you want to work together?”

“I mean… yeah. That’s why we’re here, right? Do you think we can write together?”

“I can write with anyone,” she nodded. “It will be fun.”

“Cool. Let’s… exchange manager info and go from there.”

“Sweet,” she grinned as she glanced across the restaurant. She saw a man’s face she had been seeing quite a few times. She didn’t know whether to be concerned or relaxed that Big Hit had a bodyguard following her. There was one way to find out, and she would be seeing them the next night.

#

MinYeon sat in the stylist’s chair and sighed as she checked her phone. She bit her lip before texting him.

MinMandooo: Bona texted to make sure how many people are coming tonight.

Lucky13: Me plus one.

Her mouth dropped open in shock when he answered, and so quickly at that. She knew there were too many eyes on them since the airport incident, and she knew this is what they agreed to do. It was one thing to see the occasional photo of your boyfriend with another woman, it was another to be at the same party together. The last time they had tried it was in November, and that had been a disaster.

Lucky13: Good luck tonight, jagi. We’re going to be late to the KMAs. We have two other shows today.

MinMandoo: So many awards to fit in…

Lucky13: I don’t mean to belittle your awards. I’m just not sure we’ll make it in time for me to see you win.

MinMandoo: If I win.

Lucky13: You will definitely win. Saranghae.

MinMandooo: Saranghae.

She rolled her eyes to keep from crying and picked at her nails before glancing up at the stylist. “I really like my hair. Thank you.”

She nodded and smiled. “Your hair is so soft and beautiful to begin with. It is a pleasure and honor to work with it.”

She smiled as her phone rang. She looked down and gave a disappointed sigh.

“Yeobosayo?”

“MinYeon-ah,” MinSeok spoke. “How are you doing?”

“I’m going to vomit.”

“Deep breaths. You don’t have to perform or even accept the award.”

“I know,” she sighed. “Thank you.”

“Did you talk to Jimin-ie?”

“Yes. We’ve actually been texting. He might not even be there until the end, though.”

“I know. There’s a VLive thing right now and the E-Daily awards. I’m sorry. I’ll make it up with Maroon5 tickets for tomorrow night.”

She burst out laughing. “Okay. That’ll do.”

“Do you have plans with Jimin-ie tonight?”

She paused before slowly answering. “No, we… can’t. Bona-ya and NaYeon-ie are throwing me a party, and he’ll be there… with a date.”

He too paused for a moment. “Would you like for me to go with you tonight?”

“No, that would be too much. And EXO isn’t nominated for anything, it would just be awkward. Yuta and TaeYong offered too... NCT isn’t nominated either.”

“I’ve got to support my sister. You don’t sound very happy to be nominated for multiple awards. Let me take you to lunch.”

She rolled her eyes. “Okay. I’ll see you at lunch.”

“Yes you will,” he chuckled before ending the call and making a reservation. He texted her the information and began to whistle before heading out.

She had her makeup and nails done before leaving to meet MinSeok at Shunmi Japanese Restaurant.

They met outside the entrance and he immediately hugged her. “You look beautiful,” he tried not to mess up her hair or makeup. “Wow.”

“Ah,” she looked away and blushed. “Thank you. The stylists worked very hard.”

He led her in and they were immediately seated at a table. They ignored the startled stares and phones of fans who were taking photos and video of them.

“You do look beautiful,” he tugged gently on a curl. “I miss the wavy curls on you, you’ve been straightening it for too long.”

“My stylist did a great job,” she agreed. “I can’t wait to get dressed and see it all together.”

“I will be looking for you on the TV.”

“That’s a switch,” she giggled.

“You deserve it.”

“Thank you, Oppa.”

They ordered and ate, lighthearted banter between them the entire time. As they finished up, he glanced at the table beside them, and the young girl who was very excited to be sitting next to EXO’s Xiumin jolted—startled to have locked eyes with him. He grinned at her and glanced back at his sister.

“I have a surprise for you,” he smiled deviously while placing money onto the table.

The girl grabbed her phone and calmly pretended to be surfing the internet when in reality she was recording the two.

“I think it’s time you started driving your own car.”

“That’s what my manager is for,” she answered casually.

“You need more privacy,” he argued.

“I’ll try to fit shopping for a car into my schedule. Marcus will be thrilled.”

“I did it for you,” he placed the keys to a Mercedes in front of her.

“Mwo!?” she squealed in surprise. “Are you serious?!”

“It’s outside,” he threw his thumb over his shoulder.

“Oppa!” she scolded him.

“Come on,” he took her hand.

“You’re crazy!” she followed him out of the restaurant to the parking area where she found a shiny blue metallic Mercedes AMG E 53 Sedan. “Oh my gah! It’s so pretty!”

“It’s yours, Yeon-ah,” he grinned.

“Thank you,” she ignored the people spying on them and jumped into his arms. “I love it!”

“I love you,” he grinned brightly, a pleased look on his face.

She sighed as she looked up at him. “I love you too,” she hugged him tightly.

#

“Wow,” TaeHyung laughed as they waited for their vans to arrive after their first appearance for the day.

The others turned their heads toward him and waited.

Hoseok glanced over his shoulder. “Wow, that’s a nice car!”

“She’s going to look awesome in that,” YoonGi laughed.

Jimin glanced at the pictures before reaching for his phone and finding the story. “Good. She’s happy.”

“Yeah,” TaeHyung sighed. “Are we really going through with this tonight?”

“Aish,” he ran his fingers through his hair. “I can’t believe we’re doing this again,” he glanced away.

“That was a disaster last time,” SeokJin hissed.

“I know, hyung,” he sighed. “I either show up with a date or I can’t see her at all.”

“Seouli says mostly 95-Liners will be there tonight, what’s the problem?” NamJoon looked up from his phone.

“None of them even know we’re dating,” he answered, getting a little more agitated.

“This entire thing is a sad drama,” JeongGuk sighed as he walked away.

Jimin stared after him for a moment before turning to TaeHyung. They slowly followed him to the van and then took off for their first award show of the night.

MinYeon sat through the Korean Music Awards, checking for Bangtan often, but they hadn’t shown up. The album she wrote a song for, performed by Jang PilSoon won for Best Pop Album and Grand Prize for Album of the Year. PilSoon even gave her a personal shout-out as she accepted the Daesang.

That’s when she noticed them sliding into seats, just in time to receive the Grand Prize for Musician of the Year. She grinned and applauded the group as they walked to the stage. NamJoon apologized for being late and acknowledged the other winners.

Jimin wasn’t smiling. He bowed and was respectful and grateful but didn’t smile at all. Her heart tightened as she sat back in her seat and sighed.

After the closing ceremony, she walked toward the backstage area to collect her awards.

“Noona!” she heard JeongGug’s voice and turned around to receive his hug.

“Hi,” she giggled.

“Congratulations,” Jimin spoke lowly. “You deserve this.”

“Thank you, Ssangdungi,” she held him close to her.

“You look great, Baby,” he whispered just before being pushed out of the way.

“Congratulations!” Hoseok kissed her cheek.

“Thank you, you too!”

“I’m so proud of you, MinYeon-ie,” NamJoon hugged her.

“Thank you,” she nodded.

She met eyes with YoonGi and smiled. This was the moment they had been talking about since they met—winning awards at the same shows.

“Congratulations,” he hugged her tightly. “You deserve this more than anyone I know.”

“Thank you,” she smiled before pulling away.

“We saw your new car!” TaeHyung hugged her. “I love it!”

“Thank you! MinSeok-ie completely surprised me with it today!”

“I can’t wait to see you in it,” he gushed over her.

“I posted on my private Insta earlier, check it out. I’ll have to pick you up for lunch or something soon.”

Jimin’s face saddened as he looked away.

“Okay, I need to go change!”

“We’ll see you there!” SeokJin waved as she dashed off toward her waiting car.

They all turned to Jimin and raised their eyebrows.

“What?”

“You act more like friends now than when you were friends,” YoonGi smirked.

“I hate this,” he huffed before walking off.

Her phone rang, snapping her from her thoughts. She rolled her eyes around for a moment before answering. “Yeobosayo?”

“Congratulations! Everyone is here! We’re just waiting for the guest of honor!” JeongHan burst through the phone.

“I...” she lost her breath.

“What’s wrong?” he stepped out into the hall for privacy.

“I’m just a bit overwhelmed,” she lied.

“Are you by yourself?”

“Yes.”

“Fuck that. You need a date to your own party,” he glanced up at Joshua.

“Is my favorite Scorpio there?”

“Oooh. Yuta’s the man meat of choice tonight,” he purred. “Nice,” he waved him over.

“What is it?” He smiled at JeongHan.

“The guest of honor has requested you as her arm candy for the evening…”

His eyes widened. “On my way!”

She burst into a grin when she heard his voice. “Awesome. I’ll text you when we’re on our way.”

She slid into the car and plastered a smile on her face for the driver. “Home, please.”

#

Yuta knocked on her door and waited as he looked around the hall. He wasn’t nervous. He liked MinYeon, albeit probably a bit less than the others. Their personalities weren’t really a good match as a couple. They often got on one another’s nerves and knew when to back off. They were amazing in bed together, and incredible friends, but that was that. He knew that they were not meant to be a couple in any way, shape, or form— But when she finally opened the door revealing the hair, makeup, and dress she had worn to the awards show, he lost his breath completely.

“What’s wrong?” she asked in Japanese.

“You...” he looked her over. “You look amazing.”

She relaxed her shoulders and smiled before stepping back to let him in.

“I’m sorry...”

“You’re fine,” she closed the door and paused for a moment.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing, why?”

“You are alone on your big night? Where the fuck is Jimin?”

She smiled at him before looking away. “Blackout orders again.”

“Mochi-san,” he hugged her. “I’m so sorry.”

“It’s not that big of a deal,” she sighed.

“Of course it is,” he consoled her. “You two can’t go five minutes without touching, and it’s been that way the whole time I’ve known you. Why are you torturing yourselves just to make a few crazy fans happy?”

“I’m not the idol,” she smirked. “He kissed me in public and people saw it.”

“Ah,” he rolled his eyes as she pulled away.

“I’ll be right back,” she winked at him before walking off to her room to change.

Jimin arrived at the party with his date. “What’s going on?” he looked around. “Where’s MinYeon-ah?”

“I’m not sure,” MiHyeon stepped closer to him to speak privately.

“Excuse me,” JeongHan bowed to Jessi before walking up to Jimin, who had been joined by TaeHyung. “What the fuck, man? She doesn’t have a date to her own party?”

“What?!” His face fell as he rolled his eyes around the room.

“When I called her, she said she was overwhelmed and trying to calm down. I sent Yuta to get her.”

He glanced around the room at the people there. “She has a lot of friends here tonight. She’ll be fine.”

“Are you two fighting or something? You’re both acting weird,” he glared at him.

“Sasaeng activity,” he scratched his head. “I apparently spent too much time with her while she was recovering. My managers think it’s a good idea to step back for a while.”

He glanced over at the girl beside him. “Is that what that is?”

He nodded quietly.

“Good luck with that,” he smirked. “This should be one hell of a party tonight.”

Jimin raised his eyebrows and returned to his date. “This might get really interesting.”

“It might, but you have other people to attend to. Namely me,” she purred.

He raised his eyebrows before laughing at her. “What?”

“I want your complete attention tonight, Oppa,” she rubbed up against him. “I deserve it.”

He let out a deep breath before nodding his head. “Okay."

As soon as she walked into the party, she was surrounded by friends. The one person she wanted to speak to more than anyone was in a corner with his date and didn’t even bother to look up when she walked into the room. What the hell?

Jimin’s blood pressure rose as he spoke to Areum. “I need to check on her.”

“Why? She’s a big girl with a lot of friends. I’m your date.”

“She’s one of my best friends and she showed up to her own party alone. That never happens. Can I please just speak to her?” He begged her.

“No she didn’t,” she grinned. “She’s with the Japanese guy from NCT. You need to pay more attention to me. Is that really too much to ask?”

He sighed as he gave in. “No.” He kissed her. “I’m sorry.”

Her eyes widened. Did he just kiss her in public?

“Yeon-ah?” WonHo walked up to her.

She looked up and accepted the drink from him. “Thank you,” she looked away and downed the entire glass after seeing Jimin lean down to kiss that… girl. She then turned to grab another glass and downed it too before walking off. She then made the rounds, thanking her friends and loved ones for celebrating with her. As she approached Jimin and Areum, she looked away and walked past them.

Jimin raised his eyebrows and pushed away from Areum to follow her to the bar. “Min-ah…” he grabbed her arm, which she forcefully pulled away. “What’s wrong?”

“Are you fucking kidding me?” She huffed. “You come to my party and ignore me?”

“Ah…” he threw his head back and sighed. “I can’t win tonight.”

“You?” Tears filled her eyes. “It’s all about you, isn’t it?”

He studied her eyes as his heart broke at her sadness… “You are never alone, Min-ah. Why are you alone tonight?”

“Don’t pretend to care,” she grabbed a glass and walked away.

“Baby,” he followed her. “I’m sorry,” he turned her around.

The pain flowed from her in waves as he looked into her eyes. “I can’t even look at you right now,” she stepped away.

“Areum thinks I pay more attention to you than her. I was trying to make her happy by not running up to you when you got here. I didn’t mean to ignore you.”

“Does it matter? Do whatever the fuck you want, I’m done,” she pulled off his ring and placed it in his hand before she walked off to the bathroom.

He looked down at the ring as the air escaped his chest.

Areum joined him and looked down at the ring. “Pretty. Can I…”

He quickly slid it onto his pinky. “What would you like to drink?”

Yuta caught up with MinYeon and looked down at her. “Are you having a good time?”

“I am,” she smiled for him. “Thank you so much,” she looked around. “So many people here, including you, are in the middle of comeback and tour announcements. I have no idea how they got so many here.”

“Bona is very convincing…”

“That is very true,” she laughed. “Thank you for being my man candy tonight.”

“I wanted to do it. I like seeing you happy. Plus… Emergency Boyfriend,” he pointed to himself.

“You are,” she purred as he leaned down to kiss her.

Two arms grabbed her tightly, interrupting them. He pulled away begrudgingly as she walked off with them. “Congratulations, MinMochiiiii!” Hwasa squealed drunkenly as they both giggled.

“You’ve got a head start,” she accused her.

“Drink up, chingu!”

“Squishy!” NaYeon joined them. “Let’s start a drinking game!”

“Lead the way,” she held her hand.

#

Jimin walked into MinYeon’s apartment around noon the next day to find that she wasn’t there. He looked around and noticed the dress she had worn to the awards show on the end of the bed, but nothing else indicated that she had even made it home yet.

He clicked on the app to find her location, only to receive a notice that she was no longer sharing her location with him.

“Fuck,” he whined before looking around the room. He placed a jewelry gift box and card on the counter next to the stove and walked off to the living room. There, he sat on the sofa and stared at his phone for a moment as he heard footsteps and then voices.

“Are you sure…”

He heard Japanese and relaxed when he realized that Yuta had taken care of her. Of course he did. He was like a bulldog, protecting his favorite toy.

“I promise, I’m okay. Plus, I have a date with my brother tonight, so I need to get ready.”

“Okay. Call me if you change your mind.”

“There’s not enough time,” she purred.

“Damn it,” he kissed her. “You’re such a tease.”

“Have a good day!” She teased him even more before walking through the door.

“Wednesday night? It might be late… we can have breakfast before I leave for Sapporo.”

“I’ll be there.”

“Awesome. Bye, MinMochi-chan.”

“Goodbye, my Scorpio,” she closed the door and walked in. She kicked off her shoes and immediately walked off to her bedroom to collapse across the bed.

Jimin waited a moment before letting out a sigh and walking in to sit beside her.

“What are you doing here?” She rolled to her side. “We’re not supposed to be alone together.”

He rolled his eyes. “Fuck it, I need to see you.”

“I needed you last night and I got ignored.”

“I know, Baby. I’m so sorry.”

“There’s been a guy following me during the day, is he…”

“Your security detail.”

“I can’t be with you or the girlfriends, and now I have a creeper. Great.”

“I hate this too, Baby.”

“I saw that,” she hissed. “You looked miserable with your tongue down her throat last night. It feels like I'm breaking a promise to you every time I'm with somebody else. It’s worse than the first time.”

“We’re supposed to be pretending… how can you meet up with our friends and fuck them like crazy and that’s okay, but this…”

“You’re with me when I do that. I am all alone right now,” she wiped under her eyes. “I can fuck whomever I want, but the person who has been there to hold me at night is gone. Everything’s gone to hell.”

“I have no idea how long this is going to last and I don’t want to fight,” he complained.

She rolled her eyes around before laying back on the bed. She had no desire to see his face when she spoke the words. “I’ve been looking into the Berkley College of Music in Boston…”

“Boston?” His heart broke as he listened to her.

“I think once my internship in Germany is complete, I’m going to finish my degree there.”

“You’re leaving me?” His voice cracked as he watched her.

“No one knows me there. I can focus on my work and write on the side like I did in LA. There are no sasaengs and zero fucking Kpop idols,” she turned away from him.

“Baby,” his eyes reddened as he felt her pain. “I’m so sorry.”

“I can’t do this anymore, Jimin. I wish I could do what I want and feel no shame, but I can’t do it anymore.”

“You can’t leave me,” he begged her.

“I am… so tired of this,” she cried as he pulled her into his arms. “It was supposed to be over in December.”

“I know,” he kissed her hair. “One of these days… we will never have to hide again.”

She slowly looked up at him. She felt nauseous and dizzy as the words left her. “I don’t think… I’m the right person for you.”

The look on his face was alarming as he stared at her while blinking his eyes. “What?”

“I can’t be the person you need.”

“You know that’s not true. You are the only person I need.”

“Pack your shit and go back to the dorm. Be safe.”

“That’s not an option, remember? Breaking up has never been an option. You promised me that no matter what happens, we will be together.”

“It doesn’t exactly feel like we’re together right now. And watching you with her…” She shook her head.

“It was one night.”

“No. It’s been… much more than that. Our whole fucking relationship has sucked and now...”

“No,” he answered sternly before kissing her cheek. “You are mine. You’re not leaving me. That’s the last we’ll talk about it,” he rested his cheek against hers, his arms wrapped around her.

“Did you fuck her last night?” She whispered.

He sighed, unable to say anything.

She pulled away and sat up. “Did you really come straight here from waking up with her?”

“No,” he watched her. “I’ve been walking around all morning, waiting for you to call me. Where did you spend the night?”

“At Hwasa’s with Yuta,” she spoke plainly.

“So you did get fucked,” he huffed.

“No. I’m… not doing that right now.”

He tilted his head. “What? Are you on your period? That’s never stopped us.”

“We’re not talking about us, we’re talking about me fucking everyone else and… I told you that I’m done.”

“UGH!” He threw his head back and yelled into the room. “Is there not one tiny, minute, microscopic thing I can do right?!”

She turned around and glared at him, not sure what to say.

“Baby… if you aren’t going to be able to step back and see the big picture in all this… it’s going to tear us apart,” he whispered. “You’re overthinking things again…”

She closed her eyes and tilted her head. There was no one else on the planet who could speak to her so bluntly and get away with it.

“I don’t like it, but I know this break we’re going to get while you’re in Germany is necessary. We both need to realize how much we need each other.”

“That’s just it! I don’t need you! I never needed you! I don’t need any man!” she yelled at him. “Just… leave.”

“We’re both hungover and angry,” he pleaded with her. “Can we please take a break and come back to this later?”

She shook his head. Why wasn’t he listening to her?

“Come here,” he grabbed her arm.

“No,” she growled as she pulled away.

“Yes,” he pulled her into his arms.

“Damn it!” She smacked his sides as he wrapped his arms around her and wouldn’t let go.

“I know,” he kissed her hair.

“I hate you.”

“I hate you too,” he smirked. He felt her shoulders begin to shake and closed his eyes. “Jagi… Tell me what to do.”

She pulled back and looked up at him while wiping under her eyes with the sleeve of her shirt. “I just want to leave.”

“Is that really what you want?”

“I can’t…” she cried.

“I’m here, aegi,” he whispered. “Right here, right now… what do you want?”

“I want you,” she sobbed. “Just you.”

He cupped her cheeks in his hands and looked down at her. “I love you more than any other person in the universe. I know you feel like this is torture right now… I do too. I hate seeing you with other men. I hate seeing you so sad,” he rested his forehead against hers. “I don’t know what else to do to keep you safe other than going against every rule my company has made and ruining my entire career.”

“So do I wait and be unhappy or do I leave and be unhappy? There is no happy ending to this.”

“There has to be,” he looked into her eyes. “You’re my future. You’re my everything. There has to be a happy ending.”

She was so focused on her pain that she couldn’t see that future. She couldn’t see any happiness at all in the coming weeks or even months. She was swept up in her despair and was drowning in it, and he could read it in her eyes. He wasn’t getting through to her and he didn’t know what to do.

“If I stopped seeing Areum… would that make you happy?”

“Yes.”

“Would that help ease your sadness enough to wait a little longer for this all to blow over?”

“Will it? More threats will come, they always do.”

“You were just hit by a car less than two months ago, Min-ah! I don’t think there’s such a thing as being too careful right now.”

She placed her hands over his. “Okay.”

He relaxed before kissing her.


	12. MARCH – YOU DESERVE A MAN WITHOUT A MASK

Jimin sat in the chair of his stylist as bleach was applied to his hair. He stared at his phone for a moment before going to the search app and entering the hashtag KMY.

The first photos that popped up were from fans who were at the Maroon5 concert.

They are so cute! #SiblingGoals

They were laughing and smiling constantly!

They left in her new blue Mercedes. I love that he takes care of her!

To say that their relationship was rocky at that moment was a serious understatement. She still wouldn’t give him access to her location and was taking her sweet time in replying to texts. It didn’t help that they were busy preparing for their comeback and didn’t have time to see her.

He clicked on a photo of her leaving a restaurant with Heize before turning to his Insta. He first checked her account. The last photo was of her with a bare face and glasses, staring at the camera with the look of disdain that he knew all too well. According to the caption, MinSeok took the photo at a restaurant they were seen at. He sighed as he dropped his phone to his side and stared at the floor.

YoonGi glanced over at Jimin, who was staring at the floor as the stylist did his hair. To see him not on his phone was downright scary, as he was usually in constant contact with his friends and MinYeon throughout the entire day.

“Jimin-ie?”

“Hm?” He asked without looking up.

“Are you okay?”

“I’m great,” he answered lowly.

He thought things over for a moment. “How is Yeon-ah?”

He slowly brought his eyes, which held a lethal combination of pain, anger, and sadness, to meet his. “I wouldn’t know, hyung.”

“Aish…” he sighed. “I thought you were talking again?”

“I don’t want to talk about it,” he growled.

“You look horrible, dongsaeng.”

He rolled his eyes in response.

TaeHyung walked in and knelt beside Jimin. “She’s staying at MinSeok-sunbae-nim’s house for a while,” he spoke lowly. “She misses you and is miserable,” he patted his hand. “That’s all JeongHan could give me.”

He nodded silently.

“How are you?”

He shook his head. “I don’t know what to do,” he mumbled.

“This happened last year too, right?” He smiled for him. “It’s not the end of the world.”

“Why does it feel like it is?” He raised his eyebrows.

He rubbed his arm. “I promise, it will be okay. She can’t stay mad forever.”

“You’ve met her, right?”

“Let me rephrase… she can’t stay mad at _you_ forever,” he chuckled.

“I hope so.”

“Tell me again why we’re here?” Bona asked as she and MinYeon held hands while walking behind security to the venue. They were at the OneK concert, which Monsta X, among a few of the 95-Liner friends, were playing.

“You’re my wingman tonight,” she nodded.

“You need one?”

“Yes,” she answered curtly as they walked into the reception room and waited.

Bona stared at her friend for a moment. “I was under the impression that you and Hoseok-ie were already dating.”

“We… aren’t technically… dating.”

“I am so confused. He kissed you at your party. You went out last week.”

“We haven’t actually… dated.”

“Isn’t this… oh! You’re fucking?!”

She burst into laughter before looking around to make sure no one was listening.

“I know that laugh!” Sonamoo’s NaHyun peeked into the doorway. “Yay! MinYeon-ie’s here! Hi Bona!”

“Hi!” they waved as she disappeared again.

“Got it. You’re fucking,” Bona whispered. “Does Jimin-ie know?”

She stared at her for a moment. “Why is it any of his business?”

“What? You’re MinMin. There isn’t one without the other. He’s crazy about you.”

“Bangtan don’t date,” she answered plainly.

“They fuck though…” she froze. “Wait, how many fuckboys do you have?”

She raised her eyebrows as KARD’s Big Matthew popped in. “KMY!” he called her.

“Hey!” she giggled before accepting his hug.

“Wow, your pictures don’t do you justice, girl. You are hot AF.”

“I try,” she nodded.

“No you don’t,” he winked at her. “Selfie, or it didn’t happen,” he held out his phone as they posed for a selca. “Thank you, beautiful. We’ll have to get together for Apple Pie Club soon.”

“We do need to actually meet in person, I think,” she agreed.

“Sweet,” he winked at her again before walking out.

“That was… weird,” Bona frowned.

“Chat group acquaintances,” she waved it off.

“Back to my question.”

“What question?”

“How many?”

“I’m as pure as the freshly fallen snow, I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Girl, I know you better than that.”

She rolled her eyes.

“Okay, so you and Mochi definitely smash it.”

She nodded her head.

“And Hoseok-ie.”

She nodded again.

“Yuta is like a bulldog around you.”

She nodded her head.

“Damn… you get the hot ones. Anyone else?”

“JeongHan,” she mumbled.

“What was that?”

She tilted her head. “JeongHan.”

“I don’t know why I’m surprised. I shouldn’t be.”

“No, you shouldn’t.”

“And now you’re dating… okay. It’s no big deal. Just… pretend he’s a 95-Liner.”

“That’s all you’ve got?”

“You’re Queena-Fucking-Kim. Let him come to you.”

She giggled as she leaned into her. “I love you so much.”

Jimin woke up and immediately went to Insta. There, he saw photos from the OneK show. He scrolled through the fan sites until he came across Laboum pics with MinYeon and Haein. Those lead to Sonamoo and KARD, which lead to Monsta X.

He rolled his eyes around the room. Why was he doing this to himself? He knew what was next. He knew she liked him. He knew what was coming.

He scrolled through photo after photo until he noticed the hashtag YeonHo. “They’re a hashtag?” he mumbled to himself.

He ended up on Bona’s secret Insta and immediately felt his blood pressure rise. There was a photo of her with KiHyun, WonHo, and MinYeon. The caption read, “when 95ers double date.”

He read through the comments until he found a WonHo fansite and couldn’t resist clicking on it. There it was. Another picture of them holding hands.

Lucky13: Did you have fun last night?

He knew she wouldn’t answer. Why would she? She hated confrontation and all they did lately was argue.

She used to answer his texts no matter what time of day it was, but now there was nothing. She wasn’t going to respond.

He threw his phone across the room and stormed into the closet. He found the section that he kept separate which held all of the clothes he had that matched hers and ripped them off the hangers. He then grabbed his jewelry box full of rings and tossed them across the room.

“Feel better?” Hoseok asked from the doorway.

“A little,” he huffed.

“For your sake, I hope you do break up.”

“What?!” he yelped.

“If she finds out you trashed her stuff, you’re going to need a plastic surgeon,” he answered plainly before walking off.

#

There were cameras everywhere. She was supposed to stage entering her brother’s new home, so she carried a suitcase and a few bags as she walked down the hall toward the kitchen, all for the sake of his reality show.

“Oppa? I’m here!” she called as she looked around. “MinSeokkie...” she sang. “Your yeodongsang is here...” she stopped at the dining room and pretended to be surprised. “Mwo... this is nice.” She then looked at the sofa and started laughing. “This looks like SM’s lobby!”

“That’s what Jongdae said too,” he laughed.

“Hieeee!” she hugged him. “I love it!”

“I’m so glad you’re here, thank you for coming.”

“Thank you for inviting me,” she looked around. “Wow. You had this built and decorated it yourself?”

“I had a team, but yes.”

“Awww... so grown up,” she grinned as she tousled his hair.

“Stop,” he slapped her arm away.

“Show me around.”

“Come on,” he took her hand and led her around the house. She noticed the cameras in nearly every corner and shook her head.

He let her place her things in a room with a full bed encased in a dark, wooden canopy that was under a shaded window. After walking through the master bedroom and both bathrooms, they ended in the kitchen where she immediately began snooping.

“How many pans do you have?”

“Two or three.”

“What?!” snipped. “Do you cook?”

“I make food that has been pre-prepared.”

“What does that mean?” she looked into the refrigerator. There was bottled water and packaged meals. “Half the fun of cooking is chopping up the vegetables.”

“Not for only one person.”

“Aish,” she complained. “I am cooking for you.”

“You’re not going to get an argument from me.”

She looked through all of the ingredients he had before going through his drawers. She shook her head and sighed before reaching for her phone.

“Yeobosayo?”

“Oppa. It’s worse than I though.”

“I told you it was. I had to buy things to cook with the other night.”

“He needs more. Is there any way you can stop by a home store and buy real chopsticks and rice spoons? And a rice steamer?” She purposely left out his name, as requested. The producers wanted to build the drama of the show by keeping DO’s name out until he arrived.

“Is it that bad? He had rice spoons when I was there.”

“Not enough. Oh, and an earth-stone pot. A medium sized one.”

“What time do you want me there?”

“I need to visit the e-mart... an hour or two?”

“What are you making?”

“Spicy chicken with sweet potatoes and oimuchim.”

“That’s a lot of spice.”

“Oppa likes spicy food.”

“Then buy rice cakes and fish cakes. I’ll make tteokbokki.”

“Okay. See you soon,” she hung up. “He’s making tteokbokki.”

“I love his tteokbokki,” he nodded. “He uses Chan-ie’s recipe.”

“Take me shopping.”

He walked off to grab a hoodie as she walked out and slid into her shoes.

The siblings went to the grocery store together, gathering the ingredients and a few other things for their dinner that night.

“This is where Kyungsoo-ya sent me to buy the food for the housewarming party.”

She stopped and looked at him. “You still don’t have a rice cooker?”

“Jongdae brought rice to heat up.”

“You served your guests instant rice?”

“It was just my members. They’re used to it.”

“I am so sorry I’ve never taught you to cook.”

“You know I’m five years older than you, right?”

“It must be a younger child thing. All of the younger siblings I know can cook.”

“Except SeHun.”

“He is always an exception,” they both laughed.

They returned to the house and she immediately pulled her hair up and placed an apron over her head before going to work, cleaning chicken, soaking rice cakes, cleaning lettuce and cabbage, and chopping cucumbers to soak in salt.

He turned on his Bluetooth speaker and played songs from his playlist. She had just washed her hands from cleaning chicken when the doorbell rang. MinSeok opened it and let Kyungsoo in.

“Is this housewarming party number two?” he grinned as he carried in the items MinYeon requested.

“No, my sister has just taken over.”

“That’s probably not a bad thing,” he laughed.

“Ugh,” he shook his head.

Kyungsoo slid out of his shoes and walked into the kitchen. “MinYeon-ie’s personal delivery service!”

She walked up to him with a grin on her face. “Thank you.”

“You are welcome,” he hugged her. “What can I do?”

“Clean the rice cooker and make rice?”

“Okay.”

She worked on chopping spring onions as she glanced up. “That’s like the one at the dorm that no one uses.”

“I use it. That’s why I didn’t just bring it,” he smirked.

“Ah,” she giggled.

“How are you doing?” He asked lowly, not comfortable about having this conversation recorded, but feeling the need to have it nonetheless.

“Two months left,” she sighed.

“You’ll be in Germany, right? It’ll keep you busy over the summer.”

“I haven’t decided what I’m doing after that, though,” she looked around. “He wants me to sell my apartment and move in here.”

“That sounds like a great idea.”

“I’m considering it,” she nodded.

He finished the rice and leaned against the counter. “I’ll miss you.”

“I’ll miss you too,” she sighed. “It will be fine. You’ll still be here when I get back, right?”

He raised his eyebrows and looked out into the kitchen before letting out an uncomfortable laugh.

“What?” She turned to him.

“I’m enlisting in July.”

“What?” Her eyes filled with tears. “I’m losing two of my brothers?”

“You’re not losing us,” he took her hands in his. “I will call and text when I can, I promise.”

The hits just kept coming, didn’t they? Her relationship was on shaky ground and now two of her brothers were leaving for two years.

“That already smells good,” MinSeok peeked in.

“We are making a lot of spicy food. How spicy do you want the chicken?” she straightened up and turned away.

“You can control that?”

She raised her eyebrows. “How are we related?”

“Clearly, you were adopted,” Kyungsoo mumbled.

“Obviously,” she giggled.

“Just a little spice,” he finally answered.

“Okay.”

She handed him a beer as well. “I think I could get used to this.”

“He’s a clean freak and you’re a slob...” Kyungsoo spoke before catching the look he was receiving from MinYeon. “What I meant to say was... you two are exact opposites.”

“You are in so much trouble,” MinSeok cackled as he walked out to the living room to sit and wait for dinner.

“I’m a slob?”

“You don’t like cleaning,” he cringed. “You’re creative and always thinking too much to do laundry and...”

“Just stop,” she sighed. “I know.”

He relaxed his shoulders and smiled. “I still like you.”

She smiled while rinsing the cucumbers. “Women spend more time wondering what men are thinking than men actually spend thinking.”

“That is very true,” he laughed.

Once dinner was ready, they sat at the table and dug in.

“Oh, I went to a fortune teller after the New Year,” MinSeok spoke up.

“I thought you were ill after the New Year?”

“After... I went with my friends for the reality show. I asked about our compatibility.”

“Me?” she laughed. “It doesn’t matter if we’re compatible, we’re related for our lives.”

“Yeah, but I was curious.”

She rolled up some spicy chicken and sauce into a lettuce rap. “And?”

“We are polar opposites.”

They all burst into laughter at the painfully obvious revelation.

“I hope you didn’t pay for that,” she giggled.

“Yeah, well... we balance one another and that is important to you. You thrive on balance and your life has not been balanced in a long time.”

She turned to her rice and nodded.

“You are sweet and affectionate, and I am vigorously independent. You love your friends and are a people pleaser. I am proactive and have to find meaning in everything. I am hot-headed and you think things over before reacting.”

“Maybe we should have had this reading when we were young?”

“Maybe,” he nodded. “It was interesting. You are annoying because you love me.”

“That’s kind of scary,” she quipped.

“You and Chan-ie are both people pleasers, but he does it through laughter. It relaxes me that your main goals are to make people happy.”

“I never thought about it that way,” Kyungsoo chewed on his rice.

“We are both really relaxed and we like so many of the same things,” she explained. “We used to go hiking, and running, and karaoke,” she giggled.

“He is so busy right now, he’s packing for Paris tonight,” Kyungsoo explained.

“That sounds like fun,” she nodded.

“Paris is always fun,” MinSeok answered.

The men did the dishes as MinYeon cleaned the table and took out the trash. They relaxed on the sofa for a bit before MinSeok went off to take a shower.

“I am going to record a single to release the day before I leave. I would love to work with you on it.”

“I would be honored. Let me know your schedule and I’ll make it work.”

“Thank you,” he hugged her. “Tell hyung-ie I had to go. Thanks for dinner.”

“Thank you for coming. I’ll see you soon.”

She walked him out the door and returned to the sofa to glance at her phone. She saw the multiple texts from Jimin and sighed before sitting back and closing her eyes.

MinSeok pattered out in his pajamas to see her sound asleep. He pulled out a blanket and threw it over her before turning out the lights and going to bed.

“Oppa,” MinYeon’s voice woke him up from a deep sleep. He moaned as she whispered again. “Oppa...”

He glanced up at her, in her pajamas, her hair freshly washed and hanging around her shoulders as she sat on her knees next to him on the bed. “What time is it?”

“Nearly two in the morning.”

“Okay, I need to end the day,” he reached for the selfie stick and camera as she turned to lay next to him.

He turned on the camera.

“So, we both fell asleep without ending the vlog for the night. We’re here now, so... is there something you’d like to say?” he peeked at her.

“It was a very nice day,” she smiled. “I got to spend time with my brother and EXO Oppa.”

“And we had a nice home cooked meal, just like the ones I grew up eating.”

“That’s because I cooked them too,” she chirped.

“I think our parents are proud of us.”

“I hope they are,” she agreed. “Hi Appa and Eomma,” she waved before making finger hearts for them. “We love you!”

“Yes, we love you!” he smiled. “Thank you for being here, Yeon-ie.”

“You are welcome,” she kissed his cheek.

“Goodbye everyone,” he waved.

“Anneyong,” she followed, waving to the camera.

He turned it off and placed it on the floor. Moments later, they were both asleep.

#

YoonGi finished working on a song gifted to them by Ed Sheeran. He sat back in the seat of his studio as MinYeon entered his mind. He couldn’t help but think how excited she was when she first learned of this collaboration. She was a big fan of Ed’s and was really looking forward to hearing the song they were working on.

He wanted so badly to call her, but he knew she and Jimin were having problems. He knew those problems were due to the blackout order set by the company to keep them both safe. He also knew that they were both miserable.

Instead, he decided to check on his dongsaeng to see how he was holding up and found him in the rehearsal room, doing what his Libra heart did best in bad situations: work himself to exhaustion.

He grabbed two bottles of water and sat on the floor in front of him, marveling once again at the dancer that man had become in the seven years he had known him. In the past year he had grown so much more, as did a majority of the group. Before MinYeon came along, they were frustrated, stressed out, and lost. They were on the verge of breaking up. That one woman taught them so much about themselves and each other.

“Take a break,” he mumbled while holding out the second bottle.

He panted as he looked down at him before accepting. “Thanks, hyung,” he plopped down beside him on the floor and leaned back against the mirror before downing half of it.

“How’s it going?”

He rested his arms against his knees and bent his head down to stretch his neck. “I’ll survive.”

“Of course you will, but that’s not what I asked.”

He smirked slightly before taking another drink of water. “It sucks. I want to fix it and I can’t. I’m afraid that by the time we’re able to go back to the way things were, it’ll be too late and I’ll lose her forever,” he rolled his eyes around the ceiling. “I’m afraid that she’s going to leave for Germany and never come back.”

“Is it really worth it? What’s the point of keeping her safe if it drives her away?”

“That’s an excellent question.”

“Why can’t you guys just go out like you used to? Pretend to like one another again?”

“Hyung,” he laughed at him.

“If staying away is killing your relationship… then stop. She’ll hit that point when she’s had enough, and trust me… she’s extremely good at moving on.”

He nodded his head before drinking the rest of his water.

MinYeon went from her writing session with Eric Nam straight to her manager’s office to check in. After the news she received from him, she decided to stop for coffee before driving back to her brother’s house.

When he walked in, he found her on the sofa, staring off into space.

“Yeon-ie? Is everything okay?”

“Hmm?” she startled. “Sorry,” she sighed.

“Are you okay?” he asked again.

“I think so,” she answered slowly. “I have a couple of offers that I’m thinking about, and I have an interview scheduled.”

“Interview?” he laughed. “Congratulations.”

“Yeah...” she looked around. “So... you know I’m leaving for Germany in May.”

“Right.”

“Well... ChaeLin is in LA and asking for me and a rapper by the name of Awkwafina in New York wants to work on a few songs, and Lay wants to work together…”

“This is why you switched to correspondence classes this semester, right? You wanted to stay busy.”

“If I leave for The States now, I won’t see you again...” tears filled her eyes. “You’ll be in the army by May.

“Why don’t you go home and see...”

“I’m writing an entire album with Eric Nam. We’re nearly finished, but... I can’t make plans until we’re finished.”

“I understand,” he watched her. “Maybe you should sleep on it? You look tired.”

“Yeah,” she sighed as her phone rang. The name on the screen caused her to smile as she slipped on a sweater and walked outside. “Hi.”

“Kim-PD-nim, how’s my favorite producer?” Hwasa asked.

“I’m… here,” she sighed. “I’ve decided to sell my apartment and move in with Oppa, so I’m moving on top of working and sending in class projects.”

“You’re going to work yourself sick, Yeon-ah. Just call him.”

“What good will it do? All of Bangtan will live and die by company rules. That leaves me with a security stalker and plenty of time to work. TaeHyung-ie isn’t even calling me, just a few texts here and there,” she pouted.

“Okay… so… the twins being separated has thrown the world off-balance. Why don’t you call the other Libra and see if he can help?”

“That’s… not a bad idea,” she rolled her eyes around. “You know what… that actually makes a lot of sense.”

“I’m sure JeongHan-ie won’t mind, either.”

“Okay. Oh hey, I need your advice,” she sighed. “I’m being interviewed by Dazed and... I’ve never done an interview before.”

“Have they sent you questions ahead of the interview?”

“They do that?”

“Ne, aegi,” she cackled. “You should ask your manager for them.”

“Okay. I think it’ll mostly be about my background and artists I’ve worked with.”

“So... who have you worked with?” she asked her routine interview questions.

“Most recently, I’ve worked with Got7, MonstaX, Hannah and Justin Park, and Jung Pil-Soon. Right now I’m in the studio with Eric Nam.”

“Do you think your brother’s connection with the music industry has gotten you where you are?”

“Absolutely not. My brother kept me and my name hidden until I already had a bachelor’s degree in music composition and had been accepted to Seoul National University’s master’s program. Most of the people I worked with last year knew me as KMY before they even made my family connection to the Korean music industry.”

“I think you’ll do fine, honey.”

“I don’t get nervous talking to you.”

“You don’t get nervous talking to anyone,” she grinned. “I believe in you.”

“Thank you.”

“I miss you.”

“I miss you too. I’m not sure I’m going to get to see you before I leave.”

“Leave? In May?”

“Um… I may be leaving sooner than we thought.”

“Oh no… when?”

“In a few weeks.”

“That makes me sad,” she whined. “Okay, I’m picking you up tomorrow and we’re going to spend time together. Take me hiking at that spot you like at Achasan. Show me around Guri.”

“Okay. Come get me.”

“I’ll call when I’m on my way.”

“Thank you.”

“I love you, Squishy.”

“I love you too,” she sighed as she hung up the phone.

She pulled the phone away from her ear and looked down to see something odd on the screen. It said that the call placed had added a third number. She clicked through the call history and in fact noticed that the last three times someone had called, another number had called out at the same time.

“MinSeok-ie,” she called for her brother.

“Ne?”

“Look at this,” she showed him.

“I need to take your phone to SM. I think it has been hacked.”

“Wae?”

“Have you noticed anything weird during your phone calls lately?”

“I thought we were out of the city. When I pick up, there’s another ringing sound. Then it clicks and that’s that.”

“Shit,” he shook his head. “I need to get it checked. I think someone has been listening to your conversations.”

She raised her eyebrows. “Okay.”

Later that night, after a shower, face mask, and deep conditioning treatment, she was reading a book when her brother returned. He kicked off his shoes, sighed, and handed her a brand new iPhone XS. She raised her eyebrows and looked up at him.

“We saved everything to your cloud and your music is backed up.”

“Oh no.”

“You have a new number as well.”

“How bad is it?”

“They hacked my phone first. They somehow remotely added an app that automatically called a burner phone whenever I called out. They figured your number from that and did the same to you. They had to have been on the same wifi as us at some point, so they were near us at one time too.”

“How long?”

“About the time we shot the reality show, that we can tell. You now have a VPN for security too.”

“Fantastic,” she looked down at her phone. “Is there anyone else I should tell?”

“Only people you have called since the end of February.”

“What about people who have called me?”

“You probably should, just to be safe.”

“Okay,” she opened her new phone and began to download all of her information. It wasn’t finished until the next day, and after she had made a mental list of the people she remembered speaking to over the phone. She sighed as she realized what she had to do.

#

BTS had just taken a break from rehearsing when TaeHyung received a text from an unknown local number.

Unknown: This is my new number.

TaeHyung-ie: Yeon-ah?

Unknown: I’m in the lobby.

“Jimin-ah,” he held his phone up and showed him the text.

He immediately grabbed his phone and ran out of the rehearsal room.

He rode down the elevator, going over what he wanted to tell her. His thoughts were chaotic as he bounced between a hug and a kiss. Should he just toss everything in the air and kiss her in public? How would she react? Where was her mind at that moment? Was she ready to talk? Was he?

The door opened and he stepped off to see her looking out of the window with her arms crossed. She turned her head and met his eyes as his heart nearly stopped. Those sad eyes…

“Min-ah,” he approached her.

“Hi,” she whispered as her eyes filled with tears.

He stopped in front of her and looked down into her eyes, one of those soul-piercing stares of his she loved so much.

“Don’t cry,” he wiped his thumbs under her eyes. “I’m a dumbass.”

“Um…” she closed her eyes for a moment, remembering that there was a purpose for her visit. “My phone was hacked. I have a new number… new phone… new everything.”

“Okay,” he spoke without looking away from her eyes. He wanted her to know that she had his full attention.

“Please tell the others to have their phones checked. If they called or texted in the past week, they could be in danger.”

“How are you?”

“Some days are better than others. Hwasa, Bona, Jisoo, NaYeon and I are going hiking,” she pointed over her shoulder. “They’re waiting in the car.”

“That’s a good idea,” he agreed. “I miss you.”

She looked away. “I’m leaving.”

“What?” He felt his world begin to crumble around him. Her statement sounded extremely final.

“I’m leaving in a few weeks. I won’t be back before I leave for Germany.”

“Are you ever coming back?” He forced out in barely a whisper.

She pursed her eyebrows and bit her lip before looking back up at him. “I’m not sure yet.”

He grasped at what he could tell her to change her mind. He wanted to give her a reason to come home.

As if she was reading his mind, she answered. “Bangtan is more important than me.”

“No, it’s not.”

“It should be,” she closed her eyes.

“Please don’t leave me,” he begged her lowly.

“I have to do this,” she whispered. “I can’t stay here anymore… and you deserve to find someone who can make you happy.”

“I will call you tonight when I get home. Okay?”

She shook her head before looking back up at him. “No promises.”

“You are my ssangdungi. That will never change.”

“I know.”

“I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

There she was, his favorite person, with his favorite set of lips, right in front of him. He smiled as he leaned down and pressed his against them. He didn’t care who saw them, he had to show her how much he missed her.

“Jimin-ah,” she whispered as she pushed away.

His heart felt as though it could burst at any moment. He didn’t want her to walk out the doors, let alone leave the country. “Tell me what to do, Baby,” he begged her.

“I can’t,” she whimpered before pushing away and running out the doors.

He returned to rehearsal to six sets of waiting eyes.

“MinYeon-ah wants you all to know that her phone was hacked. If you’ve called or texted her in the past week, you need to have management check your phones.”

“Why would she need to tell you all?” NamJoon asked from his chair.

They slowly turned around to him.

“We call and check on her,” Hoseok answered.

“Oh. So the blackout order?”

“I had to make sure she’s okay,” SeokJin watched him. “We should probably get our phones to SeJin-nim right away.”

“We’ll be back as soon as we can,” YoonGi agreed as they all walked out of the rehearsal room.

“We use Kakao,” Jimin sat next to TaeHyung on the floor. “I think we’re good.”

“Ah. Okay. But you’re still not following the blackout order?”

“She just recovered from being hit by a car. We were all there to help her and then the people she loves the most abandoned her,” TaeHyung explained. “I haven’t called her, but I can’t stop talking to her, hyung.”

Jimin nodded his gratitude to his friend.

“So what’s next? You just ignore the safety precautions and it starts all over again?”

“She’s leaving,” Jimin spat. “It’s all finally gotten to her,” tears fill his eyes. “In a few weeks we’ll all feel much safer without Kim MinYeon around,” he hissed before storming out of the room.

#

MinYeon posed for photos with the members of TVXQ, seniors of her brother. She smiled and waved, met new people, and generally pretended to be having a good time. As she and MinSeok turned to find their seats, they heard a group of rowdy voices and she immediately smiled.

“No event is complete without the ever gorgeous Queena Kim in attendance,” Johnny rumbled off as she turned to receive TaeYong’s hug.

“I had no idea you were home,” she kissed his cheek before moving on to JaeHyun and Mark.

“For a few days, at least,” Yuta hugged her tightly.

“What’s up?” Johnny rested his hand across her shoulder.

“Just hanging out with the broski,” she pointed to MinSeok.

Yuta frowned as he stood back and watched her. Something was wrong and he couldn’t quite put his finger on it.

“Any plans for after the show?”

“Do we?” she turned to her brother.

“I do,” he glanced at his phone.

“Ah. The girlfriend texteth,” she giggled. “I do not.”

“I think you do,” Yuta nodded.

“Oh?” she smiled at him.

“Sushi.”

“My emergency boyfriend has informed me that we have plans. Sorry.”

“No, you’re not,” he growled while staring Yuta down.

“I’m not,” he crossed his arms as the others walked off to give them a moment.

“Hi,” she sighed.

“What’s going on?”

She scanned the room before answering. “Can we talk about it later?”

“Yes.”

“Then we should probably take that sushi to go,” she nodded.

“Oh,” he popped into a huge grin. “I like the sound of that.”

“I’m sure you do,” she winked at him before walking of to rejoin her brother.

After the show, they picked up sushi and went to her apartment. He froze as he looked around at all of the boxes. “I thought you were leaving in May?”

“About that,” she nodded before walking off to the sofa.

He followed her and placed the food onto the table before sitting next to her and waiting. “I’m leaving this month.”

“What? Why?”

“I’m done. I don’t want to be here if I can’t be with him. I’m going to The States to work for a few months before heading to Germany.”

“You can’t run away from this.”

“I don’t have to be here. I’m already mailing in my parts and papers and I’ve wrapped up writing with Eric. I have nothing keeping me here.”

“Nothing?”

“You know what I mean.”

“I can’t spend time with you right now, I’m on a Japanese tour that won’t be over until the end of the month.”

“I’m sorry…”

“Just… stay a little longer.”

She shook her head and looked away.

“Damn it,” he cursed at her. “Okay, we’ll be in New York City for like eight days next month. Come see me and show me around. Spend some time with me before you leave.”

“Okay,” she nodded.

“You can’t leave for the entire summer without giving your emergency boyfriend enough cuddles to last the entire time.”

“Cuddles? That’s all you want?”

“Yes,” he leaned in to kiss her. “Extremely… vigorous… cuddles,” he accentuated every word with a kiss while pushing her back onto the sofa.

“Vigorous cuddles,” she purred. “That sounds… amazing.”

“Then I will cuddle the shit out of you right now.”

“Yes, please,” she giggled against his lips.

She woke up a few hours later to the sound of the shower and stretched out her arms. Reaching for her phone, she rolled onto her back and stared at it for a long while before pressing the button. She glanced over her shoulder at the closed door, listening to the shower run as the phone rang in her ear.

“Yeobosayo.”

“Happy birthday, Oppa.”

“Thank you,” he paused. “How are you?”

“I’m fine.”

“Your boyfriend, not so much.”

“I have no boyfriend.”

“Ah. That answers a lot of questions.”

“Yeah,” she sighed.

“Yeah,” he expressed his understanding as there was silence.

“Have you been home yet? I sent a gift for you.”

“Not yet, but I’ll be sure to look for it when I get there. My brother made a meal for me at home and then the guys had a cake for me and we did a VLive. It was fun.”

“Good. I’m glad they’re taking care of you.”

“Who’s taking care of you, Yeon-ie?”

She raised her eyes and chewed on her lip before answering. “I’m with Yuta-chan right now. And JeongHan-ie talked me into leaving Seoul for a few days, so we’re doing that next week. Before that, a few of my other 95-Line friends took me hiking and we had lunch with Eomma.”

“Ah,” he scratched his head. “You have good friends.”

“I do. We both do.”

“I heard a rumor… that you’re leaving sooner than expected.”

“I am,” she whispered. “Please take care of him.”

“There is absolutely nothing any of us can do for him until you come back.”

“YoonGi-ya…” she growled. “Stop trying to make me feel guilty."

“It’s the truth. It’s a Libra thing… you are as savage as you are lovable, and even more so to one another. We don’t exactly understand it, but one without the other would throw the universe out of alignment,” he laughed. “I have faith that you’ll be back."

“You’re never wrong, Yoongstradamus…”

“I’m glad to see you’ve finally accepted that fact.”

“Okay. I need to go. Happy birthday."

“Thank you, PD-Kim. I will see you soon.”

“I look forward to it,” she ended the call.

#

It was White Day. One month to the day he and MinYeon were in Fukuoka, sharing a romantic getaway on a company-planned trip. It was amazing how quickly it all fell apart as soon as they returned to Seoul.

It was his turn to gift MinYeon with candy and flowers. Company be damned, he was going to spend time with his girlfriend on this day.

Lucky13: Happy White Day, My Baby.

He waited for a response that never came. He stared at his phone for nearly an hour before trying again.

Lucky13: I have presents for you. Are you free?

Again, there was nothing.

Lucky13: Baby, it’s our first White Day together. Can we please celebrate?

YoonGi walked into the rehearsal room to see Jimin in the midst of a personal crisis and stopped. “What’s wrong?”

“She won’t answer her texts,” he sighed. “I want to spend White Day with her, but she won’t fucking answer.”

He stopped and rolled his eyes around for a moment. “JeongHan-ie took her to Bukhansan. I don’t think there’s a signal there.”

“What?” he hissed.

“I thought it was a great idea. I didn’t realize it was during White Day.”

“Yeah,” he grabbed a bottle of water and walked out.

MinYeon stepped into a hotel room in North Seoul and looked around before dropping her bags onto the bed. She walked up to the window and opened the curtains to see a magnificent view of Bukhansan Mountain. “Wow,” she whispered.

JeongHan slid his hands around her and kissed her cheek. “I knew you’d like it.”

“I’ve never been here before.”

“Good,” he squeezed her. “Can I borrow a kiss? I promise I’ll give it back.”

She smiled as she looked up at him. “Sure.”

He turned her around and kissed her before resting his forehead against hers. “I can’t believe I have you all to myself.”

“You were very persistent,” she smirked.

“I’ve been told you’re leaving,” he raised his eyebrows. “Are the rumors true?”

“Ne.”

“When?”

“In a few weeks.”

“Until August?”

“Maybe,” she whispered.

His heart felt like it had dropped to his stomach. “Why would you leave us?”

She pulled away and sighed. “I’m working in The States and taking some time...”

He smirked as he nodded his head.

“ChaeLin wants me in LA and then Awkwafina in is New York... and Coachella... and Lay’s going to work with Diplo so I might drop in... and apparently now I’m hanging out with NCT when they’re there…”

“I get it,” he reached for her hands and pulled back to sit on the bed as she stepped between his legs. “I get it.”

“Do you?” she whispered.

He studied her eyes for a moment. “You’re not coming back.”

“I don’t know.”

“Baby...”

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be,” he kissed her fingers. “I wouldn’t want to stay where my ex’s face was on every subway, bus, and taxi either.”

It was the first time anyone referred to Jimin as her ex, and she didn’t quite know how to respond to it. “He can do whatever the fuck he wants now.”

He ran his fingers through her hair. “You can’t lie to me, Squishy. I’m one of two people who can see right through your bullshit.”

“Yeah,” she sighed. “Thank you.”

“Any time,” he kissed her, but suddenly froze. “What about your brother’s enlistment?”

She bit her lip and pulled away.

“No... you’ll break his heart if you’re not there to see him off.”

“We’ve gotten so close since I moved back... I can’t say goodbye.”

“He needs your support, Min-ah.”

“I know,” she stepped away from him. “I’m trying... I can’t stop thinking about it. I mean, he’ll leave... and then Kyungsoo-oppa will leave in July… and then one by one you all will.”

“Okay, you’re overthinking and panicking,” he reached for one of his bags and pulled out a bottle of soju that he swiftly opened and held out for her.

She smirked before reaching for it and taking a drink.

“There,” he smiled as he took the bottle and sat it aside before pulling her into his arms. “This is not something that has to be decided or thought about tonight.”

“How am I supposed to not think about it?”

“I’ll keep your brain busy,” he smiled against her hair.

“Oooohhh,” she purred into his chest. “Tell me more.”

“I’d rather show you,” he pushed her back to reach down and kiss her neck.

“Cheonsa...” she breathed as she ran her fingers through his hair.

“Squishy,” he kissed her, slipping his tongue past her lips as he spun them around to fall onto the bed, pushing the bags off as she giggled.

#

MinSeok walked in from work to see his sister type frantically on her MacBook and knew instantly that she was writing. He tried to lean over as much as possible to take a look at her words.

_Ignore the numerous noises in this room,_

_And quietly close your eyes._

_Think about us being together always…_

_When your thoughts leave you lonely, think about us._

_This light is full of our warmth, that embraces me…_

_Come closer, a little closer to me_

_I want to stay with you like this._

_It’s okay if you do not tell me,_

_I can see it in your eyes._

_I can feel it._

_Look inside of me, shining on me,_

_A beautiful person._

_You are the reason I keep on walking this road…_

“Yeon-ie?” he let out a whisper without thinking.

She stopped, stretching her fingers out as if she were stung by the keys beneath them. “Ne?” she waited.

“What is this song about?”

“Why does it have to be about something?”

“Because I know you and I know… you write from the heart.”

She slowly turned to him. “We have never worked together.”

“You’re right,” the realization hit him hard as well.

“I have to get these words out before they get filed away,” she explained. “They don’t have to be perfect, they just need to be recorded.”

He nodded as he sat back and watched her resume typing.

They next day, the siblings traveled into Gangnam and arrived at MinYeon’s apartment. They made tea and talked for a bit before stepping into her studio.

She set up the equipment and turned on her keyboard before choosing a piano sound. He sat back in awe, watching his little sister do exactly what he had seen his producers do at every recording session he had ever attended.

Without a word, she began playing. He listened for a moment before realizing that she was playing a tune that had been in her head.

“No, no, no,” she mumbled as she shook her head and turned back to the computer on her soundboard.

“You’re already recording?”

“That’s why we’re here, isn’t it?” she purred before returning to play again. She again played a tune, ending at a point only she knew in her head before stopping the recording and adding it to a track.

“I usually have this part done before the talent arrives,” she smirked playfully, loving every minute she was spending with her big brother.

“I’m blown away by your process. I’ve heard stories… but this is incredible.”

“What stories have you heard?” she turned to him.

“You take people’s thoughts and make them into music.”

“Ugh. JinYoung started that one.”

“You can listen to one line and come back with a full song.”

“That might be true,” her cheeks flushed with embarrassment as she turned away.

“Hey… I’m sorry.”

She froze before slowly looking up at him.

“I was so busy trying to tell you what to do that I didn’t stop to see what you were good at. You are a really good songwriter, MinYeon-ie. I am so proud of you.”

Tears filled her eyes as she jumped up to hug him tightly. “Thank you.”

By three the next morning, the siblings had a finished song, complete with MinYeon’s backing vocals. She saved the song as ‘You’ by Xiumin, Produced by KMY, written by Kim MinSeok and Mina Kim. She then downloaded it onto a clean flash drive and handed it to her brother.

“I will inform my managers that this is the song I want released for my enlistment.”

She nodded before breaking into a smile. “I’m so glad we did this.”

“I am very glad we got to spend this time together before you leave.”

She nodded. “I love you.”

“I know, Min-ah,” he hugged her. “I love you too.”

#

MinYeon walked in from her recording session with Kyungsoo to see that Jimin was calling. She raised her eyebrows and sat down before answering.

“Yeobosayo?”

“Wow, you actually answered.”

“You call so seldom; I was taken aback. I’ve become used to you just yelling at me on Kakao.”

“Are you busy?” He asked as if nothing had happened in the past month.

“No.”

“I’m leaving for Hong Kong tomorrow and might not get to see you again before you leave. Meet me at Eurwangni Beach.”

“It’ll be freezing on the beach this time of year.”

“Exactly. No one else will be crazy enough to be there.”

Her heart pounded in her chest. “Okay.”

“Okay,” he ended the call and took off. He felt more nervous at that moment than he did the day he met her at her apartment to tell her he was in love with her. Eight months wasn’t enough. Their love was too new to end now. He could not accept that they were over, no matter where on the planet she ran away.

He stepped out of the taxi before zipping up his coat. He then closed the door and watched the taxi drive away as she parked next to him. He walked around the car as she stepped out and looked up at him. He glanced down at the pink diamond pendant hanging from her neck; the gift he had left on her counter the morning after her awards wins. He smiled, zipping up her coat before pressing his lips against hers.

She clutched her fingers into the front of his coat as she melted into him.

“Hey, Baby,” he whispered. “This last month has felt like an eternity.”

“It has,” she sighed.

“That seafood restaurant you like is open,” he threw his thumb over his shoulder.

“Okay,” she took his hand and walked with him down the windy beach. Neither of them were really seafood fans per se, but they did enjoy scallops, clams, and prawns when prepared a certain way… and this restaurant allowed them that. Most shellfish were off the table, though, especially lobster and crab, and muscles were too much work for so little food. She often teased him; he was from Busan, a city known all over the world for it’s amazing seafood and didn’t like it.

“Have you ever noticed,” he spoke while paying attention to the prawns and clams grilling in the middle of the table, “that all we do together is drink and eat?”

MinYeon rolled her eyes around in thought for a moment. “No… that is definitely not all.”

“Well…” he grinned. “Besides that. You were so worried about me when we met… that’s why we started MinMin’s Drunken Cuisine,” he accused her. “You thought I was too thin.”

“You were,” she answered. “You’re perfect now.”

“My abs are gone,” he complained while rubbing his hand up the inside of his shirt.

“Lies,” she rolled her eyes. “You can’t dance as hard as you do and not have toned muscles.”

He raised his eyebrows and stared at her before inching up the font of his shirt.

She dropped her eyes to see his finely toned muscles and smirked. “Being right this much is a burden,” she teased him before taking a drink.

“You think I’m perfect?” He brought her back to the conversation.

“Of course you are,” she focused on turning the prawns over on the grill.

“That makes me happy,” he looked out at the ocean for a moment. “I don’t care what anyone else thinks.”

“As it should be,” she chortled. “Your twin requires all approval. Never forget that.”

“That means you can’t move away forever,” he tried to sound as casual as possible.

“I guess so,” she smirked.

He smiled at her before dipping a clam into chili sauce and holding it up for her. She leaned in and opened her mouth for him.

“Nice,” she sighed as she chewed. “Good choice.”

“You needed good food before flying off to America,” he nodded before eating one of his own.

She stared at her glass for a moment. “I need my key back, Ssangdungi.”

“Why?”

“I sold my apartment and have to turn in the keys. Oppa’s hired a service to take care of his apartment, but when I get back… I’ll be staying there.”

He clamped his lips together and turned the prawns over once more before answering. “That means you have plans to come back.”

“They can always change.”

“True.” He burst into a grin. “But it gives me hope.”

She chewed on a bite of seaweed salad before leaning back to watch him. “Five months is a long time.”

He rolled his eyes up to meet hers. “Ne.”

“You’ll need someone to keep you… busy.”

“Are we seriously having this conversation?”

“It’s nothing new, right? I just won’t be around to get jealous and your life will be easier.”

“Min-ah!” He scolded her.

“Wh…” she burst into laughter. “It’s true!”

“I don’t even know why that upset me. In five minutes you’ll be telling me you don’t want to see anyone else.”

“I hate you,” she deadpanned as he threw his head back in laughter.

“You love me!”

She pouted for a moment. “Too much.”

He calmed down as he watched her for a moment. “I love you.”

“I love you, too. And I’m going to miss you… so much.”

“It’s only five months,” he reached for the ring on his pinky and pulled it off before holding it out for her. “Here. You’ll have me with you.”

She smiled as she took the ring and slid it onto the third finger of her right hand. “I won’t take it off.”

“Good,” he nodded. “Get a tattoo on your ass that says ‘Property of Park Jimin’ while you’re in LA too.”

She reached across the table and moved a strand of bleached blonde hair out of his face. “I’m going to change my hair.”

“What color?”

She smiled before looking down at the shirt he was wearing. “Blue.”

“Okay,” he grinned at her. “I can’t wait to see it.”

“Cool,” she sat back and took another bite.

“Did you get the gifts I left for White Day?”

“The candy is already gone,” she nodded. “Thank you.”

“We won’t need to celebrate Black Day, because we’ll be together,” he watched her.

“I guess so,” she smiled.

“Does everyone know you’re leaving?”

She rolled her eyes. “The goodbyes are getting harder,” she frowned.

“TaeHyung-ie?”

“I can’t…” she sighed.

“Yuta?”

“He’s pissed at me. He wants me to wait until their Japanese tour is over.”

“JeongHan-ie?”

“He gets me,” she sighed. “He understands.”

“Hwasa?”

“She’s been calling me every day.”

“MinSeok-ie?”

“He begged me to wait until after his birthday. It’s bad enough I’m going to miss his ceremony.”

“Mommy Kim?”

“Please stop,” she glared at him.

“Your parents don’t know you’re leaving?”

She looked out at the ocean and ended the conversation. “I’m supposed to have a procedure done that takes… a month to prepare for. I know it will disappoint them if I don’t do it and I’m just not ready for that conversation.”

“What are you talking about?”

She shook her head and sighed.

“Baby, what’s wrong?”

“I needed you, and you weren’t there,” she whispered.

“I’m here now.”

“Only until Big Hit cracks the whip and calls you back,” she sighed.

He sat back and stared at her. She was right. It hurt badly that she was right, but he had yet again chosen his company’s commands over her. He just wish he knew what had happened while they were not speaking. Knowing her, if it was medical related, she only told her parents.

After they ate, he went with her to her apartment to gather his things and looked around. Everything was packed up and ready to be taken to storage. Her studio was empty, and the photos were off the walls. For being a place that held so many memories for them, it now seemed cold and empty.

He pulled the chain over his head that held his copy of the key and placed it onto the counter. He then looked down at the boxes and bags and laughed. “I had way more things here than I thought.”

“Yeah,” she sighed.

“Please talk to me.”

“It’s too painful,” she pouted. “I’m broken and nothing can be done about it.”

He tried to understand her cryptic dribble. Her hip healed. Her arm healed. Her ear healed… They diagnosed her stomach problem… the only thing left was…

“What’s broken, Min-ah?” he asked softly.

Her lip trembled as her eyes filled with tears. “Me. I can’t have babies,” she turned away.

He could have died on the spot. She had received news of this magnitude and he wasn’t there for her. She was all alone. “What happened?” he wrapped his arms around her.

“Being sick for so long… being malnutritioned… fried my organs. They want to harvest my eggs because I’ll be menopausal in the next year.”

“I’m so sorry I wasn’t with you.”

“You shouldn’t be,” she pulled away from him. “You should be looking for someone else. You need a woman who can give you what I can’t.”

“Are you crazy? I don’t love you just because we may or may not have children together. You’ve lost your mind.”

She turned around and looked up at him.

“Fuck off with this breaking up and finding someone else shit. I’m not going to do it. Just. Stop.”

“But…”

“You have an amazing way of trying to make other people’s decisions for them, but you need to stop. You are my choice.”

“Jimin-ah,” she sighed.

“Hey,” he ran his thumb down her cheek. “Promise me you’ll see me in New York next month.”

“I already did,” she leaned against him.

“See? Five months has already turned to one.”

“We shouldn’t…”

“I already know you’re my future. We’ve had two different old ladies tell us that we are meant to be together. If that’s as the hottest ‘It’ couple for the next 50 years, so be it. If that’s as Park’s Orphanage for Children and Small Animals, I’m down with that too. And if by some miracle we happen to create a child together, I will manage to survive. But in none of those scenarios are you absent. All roads lead to you,” he kissed her, reaching for the edge of her sweater and pulling it up over her head. She unbuttoned her jeans and pushed them down her legs as he slid his hands around her hips and kneaded her plump, faithfully erotic ass. It was all the coaxing she needed to lift her legs and wrap them around his waist.

She quickly reached for his belt and unfastened it as he pushed her against the wall and pulled her panties aside. As she pushed his jeans over his hips he slid himself inside her, pushing his hips into hers as they both let out frenzied moans.

She threw her head back and closed her eyes as she ran her fingers through his shaggy, platinum hair, enjoying the feelings overtaking her entire body. He buried his face into the crook of her neck and let her Chanel overwhelm his senses.

“Oh!” she tightened her legs around him as his hips pounded into hers repeatedly until her body burst into eloquent spasms, tightening around him and demanding his own release.

He grunted into her shoulder, their bodies calming as their lungs fought for breath. He kissed her neck, moving up to her chin and then finally returning to her lips.

They slid down to the floor, as he turned to catch her in his lap, his lips not leaving hers as he held on for dear life. They had no idea how long they had been there when she finally pulled back for air.

He stared into her eyes, running his fingers over her skin. “Our 300th day will be the end of next month.”

“We’ve never been together on an anniversary, why start now?” she looked away.

“True,” he smiled.

“Besides, anniversaries stop when you’ve broken up.”

“Which we have not.”

She rolled her eyes before resting her head against his shoulder. “Of course not, you won’t let me.”

“My legs are numb,” he chuckled.

“I’m sorry,” she kissed him.

“No you’re not.”

“I’m really not,” she grinned against his lips. “I’ve missed this.”

“Me too, Jagi,” he kissed her. “Please be careful. Stay safe. I’ll call you as soon as I step off the plane in New York.”

“Okay,” she agreed. “I love you.”

“I love you too, Baby.”

#

It was the last birthday MinSeok would spend with his friends for the next few years. He was also related to MinYeon, which meant that several celebrations were to be had. He was also given a reception by SM, which meant that most of her friends were there as well.

She made her rounds, as she often did, but gathered a few of them. She had questions…

Taemin, one of Jimin’s close friends and hers as well.

JongIn and BaekHyun, two of her EXO oppas.

TaeYong and Mark from NCT127, and TEN and Lucas, her little brothers.

They all looked at one another as they met in the atrium before letting out collective sighs.

“We’ve been set up,” BaekHyun growled.

She walked straight up to them with her fingertips pressed together. “I know about the secret project.”

“How?” Taemin stared at her.

“I’ve been asked to write a song.”

TaeYong, probably the closest to her in the group, tilted his head and watched her. “That doesn’t exactly suck.”

“I’ve been pushing back from SM… I thought they actually hate me…”

“You didn’t want to be associated with Xiumin. That’s understandable,” Taemin nodded.

“Super…”

“Shhhht!” they all hissed at her. “Secret.”

She pursed her lips. “Your group is different. They want over-the-top stuff on every song.”

“Will you do it?” TEN asked her.

“Come on, Noona. Work with us…” Mark pleaded with her.

“I have a song in mind… but I hate SM’s process. It won’t sound the same, because of your crazy high range,” she turned to Baekhyun.

“Comeon, Yeon-ah. Do it,” he teased her.

She pulled out her phone and found the file she was looking for.

_The rain rides my body and flows down_   
_the thirst for you gets more intense_   
_At the end of this long wandering it’s you_   
_Look ahead, look ahead_   
_Emotions become pain and grow_   
_Now can I run to you_   
_What if I didn’t know you I think about that_   
_Take me back, Take me back_

_She got me bad got me going crazy_   
_With no rest I’m craving you_   
_Shouldn’t have let you go_   
_Should’ve stopped the rain_

_I can’t stand the rain anymore_   
_I can’t stand the cold any longer_   
_I can’t do anything_   
_Even the meaningful things are useless_   
_Fill me with warm heat_   
_I can’t stand the rain_

“I like the native sounds,” Taemin analyzed the song.

“I love the thirst talk,” TEN teased her.

“I love the emotion,” JongIn watched her.

TaeYong, the only one amongst them who was a leader of their group, nodded his head. “Our company is putting a lot of effort into this. They’re pushing back some of our solo work and speeding this up. We need a mini-album of amazing songs, and this is one.”

Lucas simply pressed his hands together and nodded his head as Mark followed.

She turned to her big brothers and raised her eyebrows.

“Work only through your manager. You’ll be in Germany when we record this, so… I don’t see another incident happening.”

“Incident?” Taemin frowned.

She flashed her eyes at him. “Chan-ie and Kyungsoo-oppa leaked their album in November to protect me. SM doesn’t like being told ‘no’ and they were trying to blacklist me.”

“So much makes more sense now,” he shook his head.

“If you do this, you will no longer be the EXO Princess. You’ll be the SM Queen,” JongIn teased her.

“Is that supposed to tempt me?” she burst into laughter as they all followed.

“Come on, Queena!” Mark was relentless in his begging.

“If you want it, it’s yours. SM will have to approve it and go through their producers.”

“We want it,” Baekhyun glanced around the group for validation before nodding his head. “And you owe me a song, too.”

“What?” she stepped back.

“Come on. You recorded with your brother, Chan-ie, and Kyungsoo. You. Owe. Me.”

“Okay, okay. I know which one I’ll send you,” she shook her head before sending him a file. “It’s fun, you’ll like it. It’s about idols fucking in UN Village…”

He let out a disappointed hiss as TEN burst into giggles.

“I love you so much, you don’t even know!” he hugged her.

“I can’t sing a song my little sister wrote about fucking!” he whined.

She played a song that started with a funky beat.

“I may be wrong…” he cocked his eyebrow.

“Okay,” Taemin glanced around. “This is MinSeok-ie’s party… Mark… set up a chat group.”

“Good talk,” MinYeon bowed.

They scattered as TaeYong caught up with her. He pulled her toward the windows and looked around. “Is it true?”

“Yes,” she whispered.

“Are you okay?”

“You know me, I’ll reset and be fine.”

He watched her closely. “You’re driving Yuta crazy.”

“Seriously, how do you all just… make decisions? It’s maddening,” she crossed her arms.

He laughed at her. “I hope you know that you’re the odd one here. People usually do made decisions—every single day.”

“How exhausting,” she rolled her eyes. “I will be in New York when you get there. I will be available all week, I promise. Call me ‘Tour Guide Queena’ because I will show you everything.”

He raised his hand and held out his pinky.

She stared at it a moment before wrapping her pinky around his.

“Stay safe, chingu.”

“I promise,” she received his hug. “Whip my boys into submission.”

“Always,” he smirked.

He walked off, leaving her alone with her thoughts for a moment as she chewed on her lip. She looked down at her phone and opened up her travel app to check on the status of her flight. She momentarily considered changing her plans just before she clicked the button to check in.

There. She had made a decision. It was done.

#

DoggieDad: Has anyone heard from MinYeon-ie?

TwiceAsNice: Not since our hike a few weeks ago.

AndOnThe6thDay: Nothing.

CosmicBona: Has she left already?

DaeguLeo: Left? Where did she go?

HyeJin95: She’s in LA with ChaeLin-eunnie.

Shirowa: She didn’t tell you? Seriously?

AriesGoWheeeee: Where’s @Lucky13? He knows her every move.

HyeJin95: I’m telling you, she’s in The States.

CoffeeLuvrrr: Queena Kim has left the peninsula, folks.

MeSuHorny: Why so glum? She’ll be back in the fall.

SingMeASong: I am so out of the loop. What’s in the fall?

Lucky13: She’s going to Germany for the summer for an internship.

Lucky13: She’s in The States working until then.

Lucky13: She’s not coming back.

TaeHyung stared at his phone screen as his heart filled with sadness. He slowly moved his eyes to the doorway to see Jimin quietly looking back at him. “You knew it was coming.”

“I thought she’d tell me herself.”

“She said… the goodbyes were getting too hard. I don’t think she even told her parents.”

“Your words were… that she had finally had enough and was leaving…” he lost his voice. “You didn’t say she wasn’t coming back,” a tear fell down his cheek.

“I’m trying like hell to talk her into coming back. You know her, she won’t make a decision until the day she leaves Berlin.”

“I followed the rules. I didn’t call her…” he became emotional. “There were so many times she messaged me and asked to talk on the phone! I told her I couldn’t!” he yelled at him. “I didn’t know she was leaving!”

“I’m sorry,” tears filled his eyes. “I was so focused on trying to see her that I didn’t think…”

“She shouldn’t be alone. She is so bad when she’s alone,” he wiped under his eyes.

“She promised to see us when we’re in New York next month,” he rubbed his nose.

“I hate this. This entire blackout order is horrible. It’s ruined everything.”

“I know,” he sighed. “It’s my fault, though. I’m the one who fucked up.”

“Fix it.”

“How?”

“I don’t know, but you need to figure it out. You have all summer to fix this.”

“And then what? She’ll come home and it will start all over again. Someone will follow us until we’re caught and then all hell will break loose.”

“You have never followed the rules like this before. You always push back, why start?”

“Bro, I’m not following the rules now,” he scoffed. “I couldn’t stay away from her if my life was in mortal danger.”

“You saw her?”

He nodded his head. “I got my things from her place before she sold it.”

“How did she look?”

“Ill. Thin. Sad.”

“How do we fix this?”

“As soon as you figure it out, let me know. All I do know… the only shred of hope I’m hanging onto… is that we’ve visited two fortune tellers. They both have said that if we can hang on through the next few years, we’ll be together forever. We were so happy in February, I had really hoped the rest of this year would be easy.”

“She’s obviously angered the Gods in another life, because her life really sucks.”

He smirked at him. “Not all of it. The bad parts are really bad, but the good parts…”

“Do you think it will happen? Do you think she’ll come back?”

“Probably. And then she’ll leave again and then we’ll tour… it’ll be like this until we enlist.”

“That is a shitty plan.”

“It’s all I’ve got,” he sighed.

“Are you okay?”

“No. She’s my twin. When we were together in Fukuoka, it was so incredible. Everything was perfect and so… right. It was all ripped away the moment we got back. I have never felt so alone in my life.”

“What can I do?”

“Just… be you. Help me. Be there for her if she calls. She loves you, or it wouldn’t have been so hard for her to say goodbye.”

“She must love me more than you, then.”

He smirked at him. “Apparently.”

He let out a frustrated sigh and nodded his head. “Okay. I’m better.”

“Good. Now… I’m off to answer the others.”

“Good luck with that.”

He nodded before leaving the room.


End file.
